Pariah
by KA-336
Summary: The Holy War is over but at a terrifying cost. Having lost all he knew, Allen is left to wander the world in search for a meaning. In a century, Demons rise from the gates of Gehenna and ravage what they can with the younger orginaization True Cross Order to combat them. A chance visit in Japan might just give Allen the resolve he needs to keep walking forward with renewed meaning.
1. Important Note (Revision)

I've decided to revise this entire story. I would read back on it after gaining some new ideas and I had come to realize that I can't make it all fit without it becoming wonky. And sadly, my own interest in it is waning because of this. As such, I will be redoing the entire thing. The main points will still be there but how I portrayed the events will more than likely be different. I didn't even get to the good parts yet... ._.

I do hope that you guys forgive me for this. I'll admit, I did more or less rush into this crossover without a second thought. Heh... I might have to reedit some chapters to _Tainted Innocence_ as well because some parts of it do seem rather rushed after a while.

I also apologize for getting to you all rather late. I had some... family issues that left me in a long moment of depression where I was unmotivated to do much of _anything_ really. I'll be working on a revision right after this, so hopefully I'll have it posted soon. I haven't yet decided whether to take the chapters down or not until then. I can reveal a few simple changes or points that I had planned.

\- Allen is going to immediately be appointed as a teacher instead of later. (It was a idea I had later on and I feel like my way of writing highlighted that fact like a beacon)

\- Yes, he is going to have a full Noah form showing in the story. As for if his classmates see...well...

\- Timcanpy would be in it. (._. I liked the golem too much. Sometimes I forget that he isn't in the story and almost write him in.)

\- More dialogue with Neah. (The _h_ really does seem like it belongs in the name because Nea is just too odd for me... Also, I tend to forget that he does exist in my story.)

\- Longer chapters (6,000 words minimum instead of the usual 3,000...Hopefully.)

\- Chapters will be titled with my favorite Roman Numerals, since I tend to run out of words (like "Mephisto's a pain" for them.

I think my problem when I write stories is that later on, it stops become something I _want_ to do and more like something I _need_ to do. That mindset of mine leads to rushed plots, crappier chapters, and an altogether frustrated me. I'm not pleased with it and even though you enjoy it, I _know_ that I can do better. I'm sorry with the suddenly rapid change but I do hope you stick with me and continue to support me because it actually _does_ help

Thank you all _very_ much.

- _Edge_


	2. Prøłøgυę

_**-Prøłøgυę-**_

* * *

 _Two years..._

That's how long it had been. Two years since he had officially joined the Holy War. Holy? Ha! War was not _holy._ It was brutal. It was bloody. It was death. War was _h_ _ell._

How many friends and enemies had fallen? How many living people had taken their last gulp of air before their soul had departed from this plane of existence? How much _death_ could have been prevented?

Tyki, Road, Lenalee, Kanda, Miranda, Krory, Timothy... All were now freezing corpses.

Snowflakes had departed from the sky and rested on their still forms. Blood, some fresh, some not, stained the white ground red. All was silent...

Save for two people.

One laid on the ground, his costume and sword long discarded somewhere in the heat of the battle. His breathing was ragged and fast, the amount of blood pooling from the blade that was embedded into his fine clothing looked nearly too much for a human to have. His dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail from his face, his skin in it's natural Noah form with trails of blood escaping his mouth. His golden irises stared upwards towards the person above him.

Allen Walker didn't look any better than the man. His own snowy hair was colored in crimson, seeming as though it was _made_ of blood. Puffs of wispy smoke left his lips as he panted, his face bruise and scratched while the red forming on his abdomen stated that he was injured as well. His own skin had turned into an ashy gray, his once-silver irises now gold and slitted. His grip on the handle of his sword was loose. If there was an enemy, it wouldn't take an effort for them to beat the now weakened teenager. A feather could knock him over if it wanted to. But, as it were, only the two of them remained. Just two, insignificant cogs that spun Fate's wheel.

"Traitorous...Fourteenth..." the man had wheezed. A cough racked his body shortly after, encouraging more lifeblood to escape from his mouth. "Al...len..."

"Mana," the teenager had said, his voice low and broken.

"Now you get...to feel..." He gasped for air. "..the agony...of eternity..."

Another cough sent his frame shaking. More blood fell upon the ground.

"I...love you...Allen...Walk...er... The Millennium...Earl."

The Millennium Earl, Adam the First Disciple, _Mana,_ had taken his final breath with a smile before stilling. As his body moved no more, Allen slumped to the ground and stared up at the starry sky. There was no tears that tried to escape him, for he had no more to shed. A few years ago, he would be able to cry a river. Yet now, all he had was an empty well.

As if sensing it's master's suffering, Timcanpy came fluttering from the night sky and rested on Allen's head in an attempt to soothe him. As if such a thing could happen as of now.

The Holy War had officially ended. Fate was cruel, wasn't it? For the war couldn't have ended on any other date. But no, it had to be _this_ one. The day Mana had adopted Allen from the circus. The day that Allen had chosen for a birthday. The day he had slain his father as an Akuma.

And now...the day that he had lost everyone he had held dear. December 25th.

And yet strangely, that was not what ran through Allen's thoughts. As his golden gaze rested on the full moon that sat high above, his mind was more focused on the last two words that Mana had said. The last words that ate at him. Everything the other Exorcists had done had been for that man's defeat. For _peace._ Allen more-so for his atonement. So to be called the very thing he despised, even by Mana...

Allen's hand subconsciously curled into a fist.

"I'm not the Millennium Earl."

* * *

 _ **What do you guys think? Better than before or...? My prologues are always ridiculously short. I've also decided that I'll delete the Chapters I've written when I post their replacement.**_

 _ **...Anyways, onto the next chapter!**_


	3. Çhąpţεr ł

**Bold/ _Bold Italics_ \- Neah talking (Mainly) or Satan**

Underline/ _Underlined Italics_ \- English Dialect (Since, y'know, everyone will be speaking Japanese. Everything Neah says is in English though so this don't apply to him.)

 _Italics_ \- _Character(s) thoughts (Or Timcanpy. "Gaaah!")_

* * *

 _ **-Çhąpţεr I**_

* * *

 _"Keep walking..."_

For a hundred years, those words continued to plague Allen's mind. He had no destination, no path, so he would just wander aimlessly. And when he got tired of wandering, he just stayed in his Ark.

Without the Millennium Earl, Allen had quickly discovered that life had become boring. Peaceful, yes. But boring. He had come to realize that his existence had relied on the need to save Akuma. He was a weapon built for battle. A person who acted more like a machine than man. Without Akuma, what purpose did he have?

 _"Keep walking."_

But to where?

Allen was strolling casually on the sidewalk. He had forgotten where he was exactly. Some place in Japan. It never ceased to amaze him on how big it had gotten after the Akuma were disposed of. He had originally left the Ark to slay a demon residing here. It was not only to stave off boredom but to protect humans while also dealing with the bloodlust that came with being a Noah. Unfortunately, it had disappeared from existence, leaving Allen feeling rather jittery from the prospect of a fight. Tim's tail lightly brushed his forehead, as though it was aware of how his master was feeling.

He had come across a park and settled himself on the swing-set in defeat. Now how was he going to constructively expel his energy? As he mused on what to do now, a noise reached his ears.

 _" **Do you hear that,** " _Neah had asked, his form materializing beside his nephew.

"It's a child crying..." Allen had responded. After a moment's hesitation, he rose from his seat and followed the sound.

A young boy was nearly hidden between a bush and a fence. Seven, if Allen had to guess his age. His black hair had some leaves in it and his bleeding hand tried to rub the tears from his bright blue eyes as soon as he saw the male.

"Are you alright," he asked, kneeling down in front of the boy. The child turned his head rather stubbornly as he sniffled. Allen smiled as softly as he could and held a gloved hand out. "May I see?"

After debating rather long and hard, the boy held his hand out while also regarding Allen with suspicion. He ignored it, of course, and gently took the child's hand. The knuckles on it were busted, showing that the child hit something rather hard. After a quick examination of the other one, Allen deducted that this was the only wound.

"What's that thing on your head," the kid asked as Allen let his hand go.

"What? Tim?" Smiling, Allen held out his palm and Timcanpy fluttered his way into it. "He's my golem. You can hold him if you want, as long as you let me patch up your hand."

The boy nodded and Allen passed Tim to his uninjured hand before untying the ribbon tie that had always adorned his outfit. As the child regarded it curiously, understanding lit his face when he saw Allen using it to bandage his knuckle. "But isn't that yours?"

"You need it more," the male responded. After finishing, he sat down and watched as the boy entertained himself with Tim. "What's your name?"

"Rin." The boy grinned broadly at Allen.

"And does your family know that you're here, _Rin_?"

The smile slipped off his face and suddenly, he didn't seem as excited. Allen almost regretted it but he had to know if the boy was alright. "No. I...I sort of ran off..."

"I can take you back home if you'd like."

The boy nodded and Allen got up to his feet. Neah was still materialized and was looking at Rin with confusion. Allen tilted his head slightly as though to say "what?"

 _" **I'm picking some dark energy from the boy.** "_

 _" Demon,"_ Allen had questioned softly, using his native tongue in case Rin heard.

 _" **Not quite... He doesn't seem possessed. He's not giving off the vibe of a demon. It's strange.** "_

Allen didn't respond to Neah and instead turned to a curious Rin who was looking up at him when he stilled. He switched back to Japanese as he smiled. "I'm bad with directions... Can you lead the way?"

Rin beamed and nodded before heading towards the sidewalk. Allen eyed him cautiously before following along. He soon stopped when they reached the iron gate to a monastery.

"Here we are," Rin said, grinning as he turned towards Allen. He suddenly grew shy. "Do you...want to come in?"

"I'm afraid I can't." Allen knelt in front of the child with his famous closed-eyed smile. "I have some stuff I need to do. Maybe I'll visit again some time." The boy looked dejected. "You should probably go inside now. I'm sure your family is waiting."

Rin nodded and crossed the gates so he could head in. He then paused and looked back at Allen. "Are we friends?"

Allen looked taken aback, surprised that he would even be asked that. And yet he had, by a child no less, which meant that he would feel bad if he just said no. So, instead, he smiled. "Sure."

Looking as though the weight had left his shoulders, Rin face the monastery before realizing that he had to ask something else. So he turned back to the gate with the question settled on his tongue...

Only to find that Allen was gone. As well as Timcanpy.

* * *

 _ **Eight years later...**_

Rin's bloodied hands clung to the chains of the swing as his head was downcast, hiding his rather glum expression behind shadows since the full moon seemed amendment in revealing them. He had done it again... Gotten into another fight when he had promised _not_ to. It's just...how the hell was he suppose to just _let_ people talk crap about his family!? And now Shiro would get onto him if he saw the bruise on the ravenette's face. As much as he hated to admit it, that old coot was quick at picking stuff up. If only he had avoided getting hit in the face. Then all he would have to do was hide his hands under his gloves.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, Rin didn't notice the strange metallic odor that had overtaken the air nor the presence of another person.

"Are you alright?"

A voice Rin didn't quite recognized help tease the teenager out of his thoughts. He scowled, looking up at the person who interrupted him before pausing.

Another person about his age, maybe a year or two older, stood by the swings with a pleasant smile on his face. His hair was stark white, framing a delicate, porcelain face while two silver-gray eyes watched him from behind his bangs. Rin inhaled sharply in surprise when he noticed the ragged scar that marred the left side of his face. It started as a reverse pentacle on his forehead, moving past his eyebrow and eyelid before jarring abruptly further left when it reached his cheek bone. Then it curved, following along his jawbone before ending near his chin. There was a second, smaller scar that ran parallel to his eyelid, right before the larger mark hooked. It was both fascinating and somewhat sickening. What did a person get into to deal with _that._ It looked rather deep.

A sheen of gold distracted the teenager and when he looked, he noticed a ball with wings and a tail sitting that person's head.

"Are you alright," the person had asked again. His voice sounded familiar and yet Rin, for the life of him, couldn't recall where he had heard such a thing. However, the small lilt in his rather fluent Japanese and facial structure highlighted that he wasn't Asian.

"Y-yes," Rin had stammered. However, the other teenager's gaze had slipped from his face to his hand. He held out one of his own, donning a thick, white glove.

"May I see?"

The ravenette thought long and hard. And no, it wasn't about showing the guy his hand. It just that...it felt like he had been in this situation before. But he would remember, wouldn't he? Regardless, after a long moment of silence, Rin held his hand out for the white-headed person to see. That strange metallic smell began to make itself known in his mind. He would have mentioned it but his thoughts were focused on what he would consider a more important thing.

"What's that thing on your head?"

The person's lips twitched, as though he were fighting off a smile, before he released Rin's hand and tugged off the dark glove he donned on the right (which Rin hadn't noticed was holding his mid-section). At least, it _looked_ dark with the black-and-gray the moon had colored the world in. Somehow, that metallic smell seemed even more potent as he undid the ribbon tie that adorned his outfit.

"What," he had asked lightly. "Tim?"

Rin wanted to ask if that was that thing's name but had gotten distracted when the person wrapped his hand with the ribbon.

"But isn't that yours," he had asked, feeling a wave of unknown nostalgia running over him once more.

"You need it more," the white-headed teenager had said, finishing the wrapping before he slid his dark glove back on. Under the cover of darkness, his hand seemed to disappear as it returned to holding his abdomen. After a slight pause, the person went ahead and sat on the swing on the right side of Rin in silence. His silver-gray eyes stared ahead as they seemed to focus on something Rin could not see.

"Have we met before," he finally asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the side of the person's face. The other teenager merely glanced at him before looking away with a slight, yet somehow polite, smile.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not," was all he had said. Rin felt his face scrunch up in confusion but said nothing more about it. They just drifted back into silence.

"Here," the white-headed person had spoken after a rather long moment of peaceful quiet. His left hand reached up to his head, to which that strange gold thing flew into, before holding it out to Rin. "Do you want to hold him? I promise the most biting he would probably do is chew on your hair."

Rin couldn't help smile and reached for the little creature. It entered his palm with no problem and the ravenette looked at it curiously. He didn't pay any attention to how the breathing of the person beside him seemed to grow more labored by the second. And yet _still_ that smell lingered in the air. Rin turned towards the teenager to ask him a question when the male had fallen out of his seat.

The creature (Tim, was it?) almost immediately darted from Rin's hand to flutter around his face. The ravenette, meanwhile, practically leaped off the swing and knelt beside the person in a panicked motion to see what the problem was.

"Tim...I'm fine..." The person had said. The golden creature didn't seem convinced. Neither did Rin. A grunt left the teenager's lips as Rin turned him over...then nearly recoiled at the sight.

He had found out where that metallic scent he had been catching whiffs of had come from. It was blood, the red colored black under the pale moon. It seemed to almost completely dye the white shirt beneath his trench coat. There was too much of it. Certainly more than Rin had seen and seemingly more than a person could hold. To think that the human body was capable of losing so much. And he called this _fine_?

"What the hell happened!?" was the first thing Rin could think to say. But the strange person no longer seemed capable of holding enough energy to speak. Instead, his tired-looking eyes just blinked. Fine, questions could be held off for now. What he needs is a hospital. It's too far to walk though, so a stop at the monastery will have to do.

"You stay with me, alright!" Rin grabbed the teenager and hauled him to his feet, much to the pained grunt the person had released. That was just it, Rin had noticed. The wound he had looked like absolute _agony_ and yet all he did was release a small, almost indecipherable grunt. "I'm going to take you home! So you just hang on!"

Tim flew desperately around in the sky as they walked. Well, the person was more or less dragged but he did his best to stay conscious as they moved. Rin was certain that it would have been more difficult otherwise. Soon, they passed the gates of the monastery. Shiro, as if sensing that his son had returned home, threw the door open with a rather pissed expression on his face. He looked ready to yell until he saw the fearful expression Rin had adorned as well as the barely conscious form of his counterpart. Shouting orders at the monks inside, he then hurried over to his son and took the stranger's other arm over his shoulder.

"I'll get him," Shiro had said. "You help the others prepare a room for him."

Rin nodded, too busy dwelling on whether or not the person would survive to even think that they should _probably_ take him to the hospital. He instead headed inside to see what needed to be done for their unexpected quest.

He hoped that the person would be alright.

* * *

 _They fell one by one. Tyki was killed by Kanda. Kanda, by Road. Road, by Lenalee. Lenalee, by Sheril. Sheril by..._

 _It was like dominoes. Each one knocked the other down until there was nothing left. And he watched them fall. He watched them die._

" **...en...** "

 _The people he had cared the most about slaughtered like animals under the commands of the person he most loved._

 _Mana._

 _Allen had felt anger before. Had felt rage. Yet this burning, aching feeling he had was of a whole new level. It suffocated him with the need to be released. To tear something,_ anything, _apart. Something had to die._ He _had to die._

" **...llen...** "

 _Allen turned his white-hot fury onto the Earl. Both were all that remains. So it should be just fitting that the two of them should die. Mana was surprised with how much energy he had. Allen had seemed dead on his feet only moments ago. Victory was nearly in his grasps. Yet now Allen was fighting as though he had nothing to lose._

 _That's because he no longer did._

 _This was Mana's doing. Mana's fault. It's only right that he should die. As of now, it didn't matter that the Earl was his adoptive father. Allen just wanted him dead._

 _Die. Die. Die. Die die die die diediediediediedie **die** -_

" **Allen**!"

* * *

He jolted awake, the vivid rage he was experiencing seeming to disperse into nothing, leaving him with a hollow feeling. Growing weary, he turned his head over to the Neah that had manifested at the bed's side.

"Neah," Allen had said, his voice coming out in broken pieces.

 _" **I'm glad that I had gotten through to you,** " _his Uncle had said with amusement. _" **You've been out for a bit. I was actually afraid that your Noah form would show.** "_

"What...was that...?" he had questioned. That rage...he had really only felt it once. A long time ago. He had forgotten how consuming it was.

 _" **That, I'm sure, was your inner Noah being angry at the fact that you lost a fight to a really simple demon.** "_ Allen blinked at him. _" **You**_ **are _destruction. If you ask me, that's rather logical. I can't believe that you lost either._** _"_

"Shaddup," Allen muttered, sitting up. Neah chuckled in amusement, which Allen ignored in favor of looking around the room. "Where are we?"

 _" **Some monastery you got taken to. They patched you up as well. Not that you needed it.** "_

Realizing that he did indeed have bandages on him, Allen frowned lightly and unraveled them so he could look. His wound was almost completely healed, save for the faint pinkish line that stuck out. It was still tender too but it definitely wouldn't be a problem. It would leave a scar though.

 _Another one to add to the collection,_ he thought as he rewrapped them. Almost as soon as he did, a mass of gold flew in front of his face.

"Tim?" He laughed as the golem fluttered in his face. "Tim, I'm _fine,_ okay? Just like I said, haha- _Ow_!"

Timcanpy didn't seem as amused as Allen was and firmly clamped his needle-like teeth upon Allen's poor ear.

 _" **I think you deserve that,** "_ Neah stated.

"Oh, put a sock in it, will ya?"

 _" **Would you look at that? You're Red is showing.** "_

Allen got off the bed and looked around for his shirt. He didn't find it, which was probably a good thing considering how much blood it had, and instead settled for a white button-up that was set on a single chair. After pulling on his gloves (the right one had been washed back to white), he walked over to the door and pulled it open.

To his surprise, a teenager was standing there. He had brown hair and rectangular spectacles that framed his blue eyes. A couple of moles were set on his face and moved only slightly as the boy looked at Allen in pure astonishment.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," Allen had said, switching his dialect to Japanese as he bowed his head. "Did you need something?"

"I-I was going to check on you," the teenager had stammered. "How are you up this soon? How can you _move_?"

"Oh, well I'm a rather durable person." Allen chuckled lightly as he rubbed his upper lip. Then someone else went ahead and joined the conversation.

"You're awake," the ravenette that Allen had recalled was Rin had beamed. "Good 'cause that wound you had was kinda scary."

"How did you get an injury like that anyways," the other teen had inquired.

"I just did something stupid, is all," Allen had responded, smiling gently. He tried his best to ignore Neah's input.

 _" **Stupid indeed. You completely let your guard down.** "_

"And what is that thing?" The teenager pointed at Timcanpy, who fluttered by his master's side.

"I already _told_ you, Yukio." Rin crossed his arms. "That's Tim."

"Yes but _what_ is he?"

"He's a golem." Allen allowed Tim to settle in his hair. "He's harmless."

As if not agreeing, Tim bit Allen right on the ear he had gotten earlier, bringing a yelp from the male's mouth.

" _Tim,_ " he whined, prying the creature off his ear before he held him in his hand. "That's twice now. No food for you."

The poor golem seemed to wilt, wavering Allen's resolve.

"Oh, fine," he sighed. "But I'm not giving you a third chance."

Now Timcanpy was doing figure eight's in the air, more than content with this outcome.

"Since you're up and about, how about I take you to my father," the brunette, _Yukio_ , had asked. "I'm sure that he has some questions for you."

"...Alright." Allen followed Yukio as the latter began to head down the hall. Try as he may to map the interior, he knew that he would get lost in mere moments and hoped that Timcanpy was getting the bearings for him. How many years has he lived and yet he _still_ got lost on a daily bases?

"Does it hurt to move?"

Pulled out of his worries of getting lost, Allen turned his attention over to Yukio. "Huh?"

"Your injury. Does it hurt to move it? You don't _seem_ like you're in much pain. The drugs should have worn off by now."

"A little," the male had admitted as he thought about it. There was only a small twinge as he walked but other than that, it was fine. "I get hurt all the time though."

"I've noticed. Those are some deep scars you have."

Allen didn't respond.

They soon arrived at their destination. A door that seemed like all others they had passed. Yukio knocked on the door a couple of times before opening it. "Father? Our guest is awake. I've brought him."

"Is he?" a gravelly voice had asked. "Let him in then."

Yukio opened the door wider and Allen found a tall man inside. His height could have rivaled his old Master but that was where the similarities ended for this man had short gray hair and red irises that peered at him strangely from behind his spectacles. He did, Allen noted with a bit of uncertainty, have this grin on that made him uncertain if this man really should be wearing priest clothes.

"Well if it isn't you, back from the dead. How does it feel to be revived from the brink?"

Allen felt his face scrunched up as he rubbed his abdomen lightly. "It hurts," he stated after a moment. It was both a lie and the truth because he _had_ nearly been killed on more than one occasion and it was agonizing to move when every part of the body hurts.

"I bet." The priest nodded his head over to Yukio, who wordlessly left them. "Nice hair by the way. Did you bleach it to make a fashion statement?"

"...No." The white-headed male was growing skeptical. "It's natural."

"Really? I don't know many people with white hair and, correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't seem like an albino."

Allen sighed, crossing his arms. Maybe he should have just said yes to bleaching it. "It became like this...after I lost someone."

The man's irises seemed to flash with understanding and looked more sympathetic. Something Allen didn't appreciate but knew that he could use if he saw fit. Either way, it prevented the elder-looking male from inquiring about the scar on his face. Something that seemed to catch his attention going by how his gaze raked over it. They stood there in absolute silence, both trying to figure out what to say when Allen's stomach talked for them.

 _GrrrRRRrRrrr._

"Hungry?" The man's face twinkled with amusement as Allen grew embarrassed, light scratching at his cheek with a weak chuckle.

"A bit..."

"Follow me. I'll have my son whip you up something. He should be in the kitchen by now."

They took to the hall. Instead of trying to remember where stuff was, Allen instead tried to focus on the interior. The monastery was rather modest. Humble, even. Not much decorated the walls and the floor was made of wood. When they reached the kitchen, Allen scanned the area. They don't seem as though they get much profit.

He bit back a sigh. It seems as though he will have to reign in some of his appetite. After he gets treated to a meal, he'll use some money he saved back on the Ark to get himself a treat.

"Rin!"

"Yeah?" The ravenette had called, getting up from behind the counter. Allen bit back a chuckle as he saw the state Rin was in. Flour coated his clothing like no tomorrow.

"Our guest, uh..." the man glanced over at the white-headed male. "Help me out with your name, kid."

This time, Allen really did laugh although it was light. _Kid_? If only this man knew exactly how old he was. "Allen. Allen Walker."

"Allen needs some food. Think you can make a few extra plates?"

"You got it!" Rin basically brightened.

"Great." He turned to Allen. "I'm going to have Yukio take a look at your wound. It'll need new dressing by now."

"Uh, actually..." He held up his hands with his eyes closed as he smiled politely. "I checked them when I woke up. It's healing fine."

"Don't worry. Yukio is training to be a doctor. He's qualified for this."

"Forgive me but I actually don't like people looking at my person. I'm well able to check over my injuries myself."

"I figured from all of your scars..." The man had stated. "Alright. You stay here with Rin. I need to make sure all the other priests are doing their work. Rin, keep him in here with you."

"Yeah, alright."

The man left Allen alone with only Rin and his golem for company.

"Want to help," Rin had asked.

"Ah, only if you let me do more of the easier stuff." Allen smiled. "I'm more of the eater instead of the cooker."

 _" **I told you that beginners shouldn't start by make a royal Indian dish. You had burned everything.** "_

Allen had shot the ghost-like Noah a look as he appeared beside him. He soon settled for ignoring his adoptive Uncle as Rin began to tell him to mince up some vegetables. Luckily, the ravenette hadn't noticed the interaction.

 _" **...The dark energy that boy has is stronger than it was before.** " _The white-headed male paused. _" **I sensed it on the other one as well but just barely. They're an interesting two.** "_

"Let's hope that they aren't _too_ interesting," Allen murmured, returning to the task at hand.

 _" **Agreed. Fate is cruel, isn't it?** "_

The cruelest.

"Did you say something?"

Breaking from his conversation, Allen faced Rin. "Huh? Oh no. I was just thinking aloud."

Little did he know that a pair of eyes were watching them from a crack in the door.

* * *

"This is quite the spread," a large man Allen didn't recognize had said.

"You said it, Naoya," replied a spiky-haired male.

They were at the table with food being placed in its center. A majority of the priests had regarded Allen warily, their face darkening once their eyes came in contact with his facial scar. They visibly relaxed when the gray-haired man from before shook his head almost imperceptibly and then brightened when Rin and Yukio brought out their dinner. What most of them, save for Rin, couldn't quite ignore was _Tim._ They kept staring at him curiously.

"Allen, this is Seishiro, Maruta, Izumi, and Naoya. I'm Shiro and you've already met my sons, Yukio and Rin. Everyone else, this is Allen Walker."

"You gave us quite the scare when you arrived," the spiky-haired man, _Izumi_ , had commented. "We thought that you were done for."

"Heh...sorry about that." Timcanpy's tail brushed his cheek as he rested on Allen's head. "I made a stupid mistake and I suppose that was my price for it."

"It was a pretty deep injury," _Seishiro_ stated. "How did you get it?"

"A dare someone had me do. It was a really stupid one with everything pointing to me being injured but I wanted to prove them wrong. I'm afraid that I've bitten off more than I could chew and had been stabbed by a pole."

Neah snorted at his explanation.

"That big of a wound," Shiro inquired.

"Rich people tend to have large gates," was Allen's response.

"It impaled you all the way through."

"It sure taught me a thing or two about hopping over roofs," he stated.

"If you were in the more pricey area, why did you head to this small part instead of a hospital?"

"I couldn't afford the bill with what I had on me," he admitted.

"So you decided to head to the park."

"I figured that if I were to die, it would be at a peaceful place."

Everyone was staring at Allen as though he was suppose to be joking. He had kept his face straight to prove that he wasn't. Well, sort of. He _was_ lying.

"It's a good thing my son found you," Shiro finally said, breaking into the silence before grabbing his fork. "C'mon, let's eat up before the food gets cold."

Everyone began to dig in as light banter crossed back and forth across the table. Allen didn't join in and instead watched with amusement. For a moment, he could relate the atmosphere to the cafeteria back in the Black Order.

As such a thought reached his mind, his gaze had fallen to his second nearly empty dish as he felt a bout of homesickness. He had been _trying_ to take his time with it. These people don't seem to have the funds that would keep up with his stomach. If he's not careful, he could eat them out of their church. He'll have to buy more food to eat later.

"So where are you staying, Allen?"

"Excuse me?" The white-headed male snapped his head up in surprise when Shiro had spoken.

"We couldn't find anything on you. You had no wallet, no phone, nothing. So I was wondering if you have some family or friends that are missing you. A home?"

A familiar, old pain made his heart ache. Allen moved his gaze away and swallowed hard. All this time and he still hasn't gotten over their deaths.

 _It was my fault that they died..._

"No," he said, his voice sounding constricted to his own ears. "There's no one. I don't quite have a home."

The table had grown alarmingly silent and Allen tried forcing himself back into his usual composure. He could practically hear the gears in Shrio's mind turning.

"Then how about you stay here," the elderly man suddenly offered, grinning like a madman. Everyone looked taken aback while Rin, who was taking a drink, nearly choked on it's contents when he inhaled. "You seem like a good kid. I'd hate to have you wandering the streets."

"N-no, it's fine." Allen sweated as he waved his hands. "I don't want to be a bother."

"Oh, it's no bother. We have plenty of room, right boys?"

All of the priests gave nods of their consent. Even Yukio and Rin, the latter seeming rather delighted with it. Allen also noticed when he reached for stuff that he was wearing the ribbon tie on his wrist.

"I can't. Trouble follows me like a shadow. You _really_ shouldn't."

"I'm sure that it's nothing we can't handle," Shiro stated matter-of-factly. Allen was going to continue protesting until Neah spoke up.

 _" **He's not going to let us go so easily. He's suspicious. It would be best if you accept.** "_

He sighed, knowing that his uncle was right. " _Fine._ But only for a couple of weeks. That's all I can stay for."

"I'm sure that we'll be fine with that."

The table had fallen quiet once more, the friendly banter from earlier never returning. As Allen went to bring a forkful to his mouth, the light weight on his head disappeared and a flash of gold streaked past him. All eyes were on Tim as he flew above the table, happily munching on some food he had acquired. Allen blinked and turned his gaze to his fork.

"Timcanpy!" he had exclaimed. "That was _my_ food!"

The golem swallowed his mouthful. " _Gah,_ " he said.

"I was _not_ holding it up for you! You can get your own!"

" _Gah_!" was the response.

Allen hung his head as the people at the table chuckled at the display.

* * *

 _I can't believe that this took an entire day to do. ._. I knew what I was going to do with it too. Anyways, I'm so_ **proud** _of what I got done. It's not 6,000 words but 5,300+ is definitely good enough. If you're uncertain about anything and whatnot, ask away and if it's not part of the main plot, I'll help explain it. Also, I have gotten_ **really** _ **addicted to Persona and managed to get a layout of a story of my own for it. It's not reader insert to any of the games but literally my own. I picked out the plot, the theme, the color, the Velvet Room, and a majority of the Confidants. All the nitty gritty details. If you're curious, I can see about putting a summary on my profile.**_

 _ **~UnforgivingWolf - Thanks! I like better as well. It's definitely an upgrade.**_


	4. Çhąpţεr łł

**Bold/ _Bold Italics_ \- Neah and Satan talking (Mainly)**

Underline/ _Underlined Italics_ \- English Dialect (Since, y'know, everyone will be speaking Japanese. Everything Neah says is in English though so this don't apply to him.)

 _Italics_ \- _Character(s) thoughts (Or Timcanpy. "Gaaaah!")_

* * *

 ** _-Çhąpţεr łł-_**

* * *

Shiro couldn't say that he _wasn't_ suspicious of the church's newest member the past few days. He had a satanic scar on his face and that hole that was in his stomach didn't come from a _pole._ He had fought demons enough to recognize that the injury had come from them. The boy also moved as though his wound was nothing and would sometimes speak in English to a dark shape he couldn't quite make out. Going by his words when they thought they were alone, they didn't seem to mean any harm.

Still, when Allen Walker said that he was going to go for a walk before breakfast, it was only natural that Shiro tailed him.

Allen wasn't a demon. As soon as he was brought in, the older man had thrown holy water on him and recited parts of the bible. He either couldn't be one or he was a very powerful one. Shiro was placing his bets on the former. Just because he liked the kid.

The thing Allen had called a golem led the way, the teenager voicing to the creature that he would get lost. Sometimes he would wander the halls for hours then have a relieved look on his face when he found one of the priests, vocalizing on how he was trying to reach a specific area of the church. So his inability to find the correct room (other than the kitchen) was not an act. Shiro slunk by a building as closely as he dared when he noticed Allen heading inside one across the street. Strange. That was where people gambled for money. It's definitely not a place for teenagers. Nonetheless, Shiro braced himself to wait for hours on end until Allen returned.

It took only half an hour until the white-headed boy was tossed out by the bouncer. He pulled away as soon as they were out the door and glared at the more muscular man. "I _didn't_ cheat! Your lousy boss was just upset that _I_ beat _him_! He's the one that rigged the deck!"

"Like I'm suppose to believe the White Demon,"the bouncer snorted. And then he slammed the door in Allen's face.

"Well that was rather insulting." Allen crossed his arms before turning to the dark mass that assembled beside him. Shiro narrowed his eyes. "I know that's just my title but I still feel like he's comparing me to those dark creatures."

The words the dark mass came out jumbled and indecipherable to Shiro but Allen seemed to understand it just fine.

"But I didn't get caught, did I? He was just accusing me because I hurt his ego." The teenager pulled out a bunch of bills. "This should be enough for now. Come on, I want to return before breakfast is done."

The dark mass dispersed and Allen and his golem continued on their way. Shiro continued after them as he filed away some new information. So Allen could see and knew what demons were. The tone of his showed that he didn't like them very much. An Exorcist then? It was the only conclusion he could come up with. Then again, what was with that dark form? A ghost?

Allen looked around the area before visibly brightening when his eyes landed on a dine-in. This time, Shiro grew confused. Why the heck did Allen need to visit a restaurant when he was about to have breakfast. Figuring that this was a mystery he needed an answer to, he moved stealthily across the street and entered several minutes after the boy.

There were a lot of people here. That was a good thing. Not only did Allen stick out by his white hair, Shiro could easily blend in. So he moved about the area until he found the teenager situated at a booth, reading the menu. Then with a smile, he looked up at the waitress.

"Would you be alright if I ordered one of everything on the menu?"

Shiro was certain that he had misheard. One of _everything_? Surely his ears were making up words for him... Right?

But no. Not if he had to go by the bulging eyes of the waitress.

"O-one of everything," she had asked.

"Yes."

"...Alright." And then she scurried off.

Minutes ticked by and Allen had found amusement in pinching Tim's face before stretching it. Shiro winced in sympathy for the small creature. He wasn't certain if the golem was mechanical or biological but it certainly must hurt to be stretched so much.

"You're order, sir."

The waitress had returned, followed along by many others who held the dishes the teenager had said he wanted. They were all set on the rather large table before they made a hesitant bow and left. Allen grabbed a fork and knife and prepared to eat.

With each plate that was grabbed and then emptied, Shiro could sense his eyebrows raising until they could go no higher, the boy seeming to inhale his food and setting it down just seconds after picking it up. Where did all of that _go_? _Why_ did he eat so much? _How_ did that kid not gain weight?

These thoughts raised in Shiro's mind as the teenager ate his way through the desserts and sipped the last of his drink. Finally, he set the money on the table.

"Time to go back to the monastery," he had said aloud.

That was all Shiro needed to back out of the restaurant in a daze and wander back to the church.

* * *

Once Allen had paid for his meal, he satisfied what little room was left in his stomach for Rin's more delicious meals.

 _It could have nearly rivaled Jerry's,_ he had thought with a rather painful throb hitting his chest. He had found it rather difficult to sit still during the meal though and began to wander around the monastery after he had taken care of his dishes (Allen didn't fail to note the look of astonishment on Shiro's face as he ate three full plates. He suspected that the man was the one following him earlier). Whether coincidental or not, he ended up in the main area where the church held their sessions, staring up at the large cross that adorned the wall.

After all this time, he still didn't understand. What about God was _loving_? So _forgiving_? God didn't love. He didn't forgive. He had left Suman Dark without a mind simply because the man wanted to survive for his daughter. Where was the _love_ in that?

People were nothing but playthings to Him. Soldiers for His cause when something threatened His rule. He called upon them when He needs them only to toss them away when they become useless. They Fall.

 _" **You're getting antsy,** " _Neah had noted. Allen stilled when he heard the Noah's voice. He hadn't even realized that he started pacing, much less that he had began wringing his hands. It's been a long while since he stayed in any other area besides the Ark for a prolong period of time. _" **We'll need to go demon slaying soon.** "_

"Please don't put it that way," Allen had responded with a sigh. He sat on a nearby pew with his hands clasped together. "Demons are lecherous creatures but they do have feelings, nasty as they are."

 _" **They aren't Akuma.** "_

"No...They're not," the nephew had agreed.

"Talking to yourself again," Rin had asked, strolling rather casually through the door. Allen stared owlishly at him for a few mere seconds before smiling.

"In a way. You know what they say, right? People who talk to themselves have better memory and cognitive functioning."

"Cogna-? Conge-? Cog-ni-tive functioning?" Rin looked absolutely confused as the male nodded. "Where'd you hear that at?"

"My uncle, surprisingly enough. But that's not what you're here for, is it?"

"Nah." The ravenette grinned. "I was wondering if you wanted to go on another walk. I was gonna head to the park we had...met at."

Allen suppose that he meant "Where you had collapsed at" but did not call him out on it. Instead, he stood up with that pleasant smile he always wore. "Sure."

* * *

Rin stayed immensely quiet as they walked. It was out of character for him but he didn't seem to notice. He was also completely unaware of the silver-gray eyes that frequently glanced at him.

It wasn't until they entered the park and headed towards the swings that Allen broke the silence.

"Is there something on your mind," he had asked, waiting until the two of them were starting to sit down. Rin felt his grip tighten on the chains and distractedly watched Tim fly in circles around Allen's head.

"I was just wondering," he had suddenly said, glancing at Allen before his gaze looked over his facial marking. "What's with that scar?"

Allen looked mildly surprised at the question. Rin suddenly felt bad. What if he didn't want to talk about it? Or he brought up some bad memories? He _hated_ how all of his nerves seemed to bunch up as Allen brought a gloved hand to his face and let his fingertips rest against it. There was a pregnant silence between them as Allen looked as though he were debating what to say. Then as soon as he opened his mouth, Rin was hoping that it was the answer to the question that's been bothering him for the last couple of days, _his_ voice cut through before hand.

"Well would you look at that! It's _Okumura_!"

Rin felt a hiss escape him as he turned to glare at the source of the speaker. A teenager with pale purple hair with multiple piercings followed by three of his little gang members. Shiratori.

"Friends of yours," Allen had inquired.

"Not even _close,_ " Rin had snapped back. He abruptly got out of his swing. "C'mon, let's go."

Allen got up as well. The ravenette wanted to be up and out before Shiratori could say _anything_ that might make him lose a friend. Finding a person his age that actually wanted to be _near_ him was hard. But of course, Shiratori had to open his big mouth.

"Oho~. What's this? Did the demon finally make himself a friend?"

Rin felt that familiar anger build up inside him. Anger and, well...worry. He quickly glanced over at Allen to see that he (along with Timcanpy now sitting on his head) had lost his smile and had his eyebrows furrowed as if in thought. The ravenette clenched his hands into fists and basically _willed_ himself not to fall into a fistfight. Allen might get caught up in it and get injured. Or _worse,_ he wouldn't want to be Rin's friend anymore. The thin, white-headed teenager looked so delicate that he might break at the first hit he receives.

"We're getting out of here," he said, still glaring at Shiratori. "Come on, Allen."

They began to head towards the entrance when Shiratori slunk into their path. Glancing around at his friends, Rin noticed that they had crowded in behind them, cutting off their chances of escape. They definitely weren't going to get through without hearing what the hell this guy has to say. And knowing him, this was going to end up in a fight either way.

"Going by the look on your friends face, I'm guessing that he doesn't know how _demonic_ you are, does he," Shiratori had purred, a sly gleam showing in his eyes.

"Shut up," Rin had growled. His teeth were clenched so much that his jaw was beginning to ache. But Shiratori wasn't giving him a second thought. He was still focused on Allen, donning that superior grin of his like he had caught the cat in a bag and was just waiting to torment it.

"Did you know that Okumura sent _lots_ of people to the hospital? Me and my friends included. He's a pretty bad influence. Are you really sure that you wanna be around him? And his little 'family' is so piss poor that his brother can't even pay for any education. This guy's a lost cause, y'know-"

"I said, _shut up,_ " Rin bellowed, dead set on making this guy shut his trap. He was about to punch Shiratori right in his grinning, goddamn _mouth_ when an iron-like grip caught his wrist just before he was about to launch it. Shiratori and Rin both looked over in surprise to see who had done such a thing.

There was Allen. Polite, weak-looking Allen who had that smile of his back on his face, this time accompanied by his closed eyes as he held Rin's wrist tightly with his left hand. The ravenette didn't know many people who could actually stop him from throwing a fist, especially in such a stead-fast motion.

"Let me handle this, okay," he had asked.

Rin absently nodded, wondering how a person could look so damn _angelic._ At least until Allen had released his wrist, sending sharp pinpricks shooting up in skin as his blood continued to circulate like normal. This time, it was an agonized hiss that escaped Rin as he held his hand. He hadn't even noticed how tight Allen's grip _was._ Maybe he wasn't as weak as he looked.

Meanwhile, Shiratori was looking at Allen in amusement, as though there wasn't a single thing the white-headed teen could do.

"You might want to let us through," Allen had said after a moment. "I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now and if you don't move, things might not end well."

"For who," the teenager had sneered. "You or me?"

"I think I'll let you decide that one."

"Alright. I'll just say _you_ then."

Allen didn't look amused. If anything, he looked irate. And his normally soft, silver-gray eyes were beginning to harden into steel bit-by-bit as Tim took to the sky. Shiratori eyed it with interest before Allen's voice snapped him out of it. "Let us through."

"Maybe I will." He then smirked. "If you give me your flying gold thing."

"That's not going to happen." The teenager's tone had turned sharp as his own eyes narrowed.

"Mm...Then I think _not._ "

"Good. Then that means that whatever happens next is not entirely my fault."

"What are you talking about," Shiratori demanded, glaring at the white-headed person.

Rin barely saw what happened next and he was sure that if had blinked, he would have missed it entirely.

Allen stood there and tilted his head ever-so-slightly with that polite smile once more gracing his lips. Then he struck so fast, Rin wasn't sure that he had even seen him move. The only confirmation he had was Shiratori, who had gone flying sideways before crashing to the asphalt. Rin had expected the arrogant teen to get up like he had so many times after his and Rin's brawl and was surprised when he didn't even so much as twitch. There was no sound of pain, no glare, nothing. He was out for the count. Or rather, Rin _hoped_ he was.

"Boss!" Shiratori's followers had cried, all of them ignoring Allen and Rin for now to check on their leader. Allen turned to Rin and grabbed him by the arm. For a split second, Rin could've _sworn_ that Allen's eyes were gold, but the white-headed male blinked and they were still their usual silver-gray.

"Let's go," he had said, and then the two of them were running to the park's entrance.

"You stay here with boss," one of the followers had ordered. "The rest of you, go after them!"

They took to the town, both being chased by Shiratori's gang. Rin was running as fast as he could and was panting heavily for it while Allen...Allen was acting as though this was as easy as taking an evening stroll. His breath didn't excel too much and he sure kept up with Rin easily enough. Those delinquents were managing but they were exerting themselves. How the hell...?

"You're running out of energy," Allen had noted. His voice didn't even quaver as he ran. "Let's find somewhere to lose them."

" _How_?" Rin had demanded. Allen began scanning the area, looking for someplace.

"There." He nodded towards a chain-linked gate. It wasn't that far but it was chained shut with a rather large padlock. Both could climb it, certainly but they would also get caught in the process.

"Are you _crazy,_ " went Rin.

"Trust me," Allen had responded. Tim went flying towards the gate and flapped above it. Then, to the ravenette's surprise, Allen's pace _increased_ and he made it to the gate before Rin could. He got down on his knee and interlocked his fingers with his palms facing upwards. "I'll give you a boost."

Seeing where he was going with this, Rin nodded as he came to a stop by him. His lungs burned his chest but they couldn't rest yet. Glancing back at the advancing delinquents, Rin shoved his shoe into Allen's hands and barely had time to wonder if he could even lift him when Rin was suddenly flying up in the air and over the gate. He landed in a crumpled heap on the pavement before he jumped up and glared at Allen from behind the gate.

"What the _hell_ was that for," he had begun. Then his eyes widened in awe as Allen jumped up, his hand grabbing the gate at the top, before his entire body had flipped over it and he landed as gracefully as a cat on the floor below. Rin was at a lost for words and pointed up at the top at the gate. "B-but...how...?"

"Now's not the time," Allen had stated, pulling Rin with him as they quickly rounded a corner and out of sight. As Rin went and placed his hands on his knees so he could catch his breath, he watched as Allen leaned against the wall and cautiously peeked around the side. They could hear the loud pants of their chasers.

"Dammit, they went over the gate," one of the delinquents could be heard exclaiming.

"We're _never_ going to catch them now," another complained.

"Let's go and check on Boss."

"More running?"

"Do you want to make sure he's okay or _not_?"

"Y-yes!"

"Then come on!"

Footsteps sounded and Allen pulled away from the corner.

"They're gone," he had informed the ravenette.

"Good," Rin had exhaled, half-sitting and half-falling on the ground. Allen just slid down the side of the wall until he finally reached the floor. The ravenette had snickered at their predicament, much to both of their surprise. Then Allen had began chuckling along with him and soon, they were both laughing. It was a _nice_ feeling. A peaceful one.

"Ah, best day of my life," Rin had finally said when they calmed down, him wiping a tear from his eyes. "I'll forever cherish the day Shiratori fell the way he had."

Allen merely closed his eyes, resting his head against the building he was leaning on while a pleasant smile of his own had returned. His hands were lightly shaking but Rin had paid no mind to it. He chalked it up to an adrenaline rush.

"The way you hopped that fence though." Rin mused aloud. "How'd you do it?"

Allen stayed as he was and for a moment, the ravenette wasn't certain that he wasn't going to respond. But then he opened his eyes to look at Rin. "It's one of the perks to being in a circus," he had said.

"Neat," Rin had grinned.

Allen didn't respond.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been," Shiro demanded, crossing his arms as he glared at both Rin and Allen. Allen held his head down apologetically.

"We were just walking around," Rin had stated heatedly, providing the answer instead.

"Oh, you were just _walking,_ huh? Then what's with that large scrape on your face!?"

Allen could sense Neah laughing in his head at Rin and tried his best not to smile as well. It was true that Rin's face was still adorned with the large scrape he had received after he had given the ravenette a boost.

"I fell _,_ alright?! I tripped and I fell on some stairs!"

"And how did _that_ happen?"

"Well..." Rin turned his head away stubbornly. "There was this really pretty lady walking up at the-"

"Lady!?" Both Allen and Rin flinched when Shiro exclaimed. "Where!?"

Allen sweated, watching the lecherous grin that had formed on the chief priest's face.

 _Just like Master..._

"Mr. Fujimoto, I really don't think that's necessary to your questions..." Allen had stated. Shiro quickly cleared his thought.

"N-no, I suppose it isn't. Fine, I'll let you two off this time. Rin, go see if your brother has something for mark. Allen, could you go help Izumi bring in the groceries?"

"Sure," Allen had said and both he and Rin went wandering to the nearest exit.

"That was a close one," Rin had sighed after shutting the door.

"Yeah." Allen held his fist close to his chin in thought. "Shiro's really into women, isn't he?"

" _Very._ "

"...It's like my Master all over again." He ignored Rin's questionable look. "At least he's not always drinking."

"Wait, Master as in...?" Rin didn't even dare try to finish that sentence. Allen sighed.

"I mean Master as in _teacher._ Not... Whatever people use it for these days." He faced Rin. "I'll go help Izumi. You really should go see if your brother has something for that scrape. It looks horribly red."

"Whose fault was that," the ravenette had grumbled.

"Well, if I knew that you couldn't land on your feet..."

"Shuddup." Rin made a face and headed down the hall. Allen chuckled at his interaction before walking down the other way. He _hoped_ that Izumi was in this direction.

* * *

The next couple of weeks, Allen had come to realize one thing: Rin was a magnet for trouble. Thankfully, it was nothing too serious like it would have been in the past. Instead of Akuma and Noah, Rin was facing people about his age. When he was alone, he would always come back in bruises. Then Shiro would throw something at him and start yelling.

"You really should stop getting into these fights, Rin," Yukio had said after his brother had returned home with a couple of scratches and busted knuckles. Allen was leaning against the wall, his head tilted backwards as he listened. He _was_ planning on checking to make sure the ravenette was okay (which he usually was) but now didn't seem like the right time.

"Are you going to lecture me too," Rin questioned rather begrudgingly.

"We're just worried about you. The only time you don't get hurt is when Allen goes with you."

"..."

"What do the two of you guys do anyways?" Allen quirked an eyebrow when he noticed the faint accusing tone in Yukio's voice.

"Why do you got to say it like that," Rin questioned. "We don't _do_ anything. We just hang out at the park or go look around. What, are you jealous?"

"What? N-no, not at all."

"Don't worry. Your big brother can spend some quality time with you to. Maybe I'll ask Allen if we can play some cards. He's really good at them."

"Is he?"

"Yep!"

Allen pushed himself off the wall and proceeded to walk quietly down the hall.

 _" **He**_ **does _remember that you said that we were only going to stay a couple of weeks, right?_** _"_

"I don't think so," Allen sighed.

 _" **If you wanted to though... Would you stay?** "_

"...Why do you ask?"

 _" **It's been a long time since you had been happy. You deserve it.** "_

"If I stay somewhere that makes me happy, it won't take long for something to come along and ruin it," the white-headed male informed. "I should leave on a good note while I can."

 _" **Will there be any goodbyes?** "_

"..."

 _" **I shall take that as a no then.** "_

"We'll leave tomorrow night." Allen looked over at his uncle as Neah appeared. "I have to fix the seal."

 _" **Yes, I had noticed that your Noah has grown agitated.** "_

The white-headed male ran his fingers through his hair to mask his annoyance. Indeed it has. His Noah form had nearly slipped during the event with that delinquent. Since then, Allen had tried his best to avoid any similar sort of confrontation. The natural bloodlust of the Noah coupled with the breaking seal he had was almost too much for him to reign in. Just one more day and he will be able to repair it.

* * *

 _"What are you talking about!?"_

Allen stopped in his steps just before the hallway intersected to see Shiro walking briskly, dragging a very confused and frustrated Rin behind him. He lingered there for a moment, wondering what on Earth would make Shiro act as though Armageddon has arrived.

 _" **Do you feel that,** " _Neah had asked. The white-headed person closed his eyes and reached outwards with the his senses. The first thing he noticed was the air. It felt dark and heavy, and gave off the vibe of a live wire ready to shock anyone with reach. No, not just anyone...

 _Shiro!_

Allen took off down the hall with Timcanpy close behind. He had sensed an oppressive energy before, roughly fifteen years ago. To think that it-no, _he_ would show up _here._

His enhanced hearing had caught Shiro saying the name _Kurikara_. "You must _never_ draw this sword. If you do, you'll never be human again-"

Finding the door Rin and his father were hidden behind, Allen practically threw it open, startling the both of them.

"Allen." Shiro's voice had grown harsh as Rin gaped at his white-headed friend. "What is it?"

"Shiro," Allen had began. Oh, how suffocating the room seem to have gotten. "Satan's here. He's after _you._ "

"How do you know that," the man had demanded, getting into some sort of stance. "Who and _what_ are you?"

"I already told you." Allen had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "My name is Allen Walker. And..." Time for a half lie. "I'm an Exorcist."

Shiro gave a nod as though it made sense and visibly relaxed, although the distrustful gleam didn't leave his eyes. He then decided that he had other things to worry about and turned towards his son, practically shoving the sheathed sword he was holding into his arms. "Once you think you're safe, hide the sword with this key." He then produced a phone and passed it along. "There's a single number stored in its memory. Call that once you leave."

The ravenette had this sort of deer-caught-in-the-headlights look as he absent-mindedly grabbed all the various items he was given.

 _" **This is all going over his head,** " _Neah groaned. _" **At least you were never this slow.** "_

"Screw _this,_ " Rin had snarled, cutting off Allen and his response as he threw the items he had _just_ been handed on the ground. "Demons!? Exorcists!? _Satan!?_ Tell me this is a joke! How could such things exist!? What about _Yukio!?_ "

"You two are fraternal twins," Shiro had informed. "The power rejected your brother and passed to you alone."

 _" **I suppose the dark energy that had radiated from him made sense. I wonder what the kid is though.** "_

 _That's not helping,_ Allen thought. He struggled to fight off the impatience he was feeling. Satan was _here,_ crackling around them in the air and here they were talking. Yes, it was all seemingly vital information but can Rin hold in his questions until _after_ he escapes?

"W-why didn't you tell me this!?" Rin exclaimed.

"I wanted you to live like a human." Shiro gazed down at his son. "As long as you remained as one, that is."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Allen had said, successfully snatching a bit of the elderly man's attenton. "But we should probably leave. Like right now."

"Yes, you're right. Rin-"

"Wait!" The ravenette practically exploded, seething at Shiro. "What about the interview!? You tell me I need a job and then kick me out when I stop being _human!?_ "

"Rin," Allen had said warningly.

"That's not true!" Shiro's gaze had turned steely. "This is for your own protection."

"I don't _need_ protection! Admit it! You're just trying to get rid of me!"

"Rin," Allen had called just a bit louder. He was just seconds away from dragging Rin and his equipment out the church.

" _Shut up, Allen,_ " Rin had snapped, glowering his way. The white-headed male could feel the shock that expressed himself on his own face before the ravenette continued yelling at his father. "I'm _nothing_ like Yukio and you know it! I'm just a burden and you're tired of playing the father!

 _" **Just let the brat die,** " _Neah growled.

"He doesn't deserve it," Allen stated aloud, narrowing his eyes as he decided to try again. "Ri-"

" _Don't ever act like you're my father again!?_ "

And then it happened. As Shiro's palm collected hard against Rin's cheek, Allen could basically _sense_ Shiro's mental resolve shatter into bits and pieces. There was a pause in the kinetic air.

"We have no time for arguments," the man had stated. "Just do as you're told."

"..." Rin didn't meet his father's eyes. "Fine."

And then Allen could practically feel the demonic energy closing in on Shiro.

Demons were everywhere. Bits of dark matter that came from Gehenna to Assiah and possessed anything it could get it's hands on. Allen's cursed eye was _extremely_ reactive to it and it hardly ever went back to normal. How could it when dark matter lingered in nearly _every_ space possible? His conclusion: cast a spell on it. It was a small seal, not like the one he was worried about earlier. It was only allowed to activate when he came across a demon powerful enough to case problems. Since the Akuma had vanished and the tortured souls were no more, the only time it hurt, like really and truly _hurt,_ was when Satan had come around. His demonic energy was just so powerful, his eye could barely take it.

The pain had hit him sharply. _Deeply._ He cried out in a mixture of surprise and pain (a little more of the former) as it activate.

"Allen!" Rin had exclaimed as the white-headed male clasped his hand over it and grimaced. The sound of something hitting the wood heavily encouraged the ravenette to look over and see Shiro on his knees. "Old man!"

He hurried over to his father, who in turn had weakly tried to push him away. Rin didn't, _couldn't_ , see what Allen was bearing witness to. He couldn't watch his father's soul fight futilely against the demonic yet entrancing blue that was forcing itself into his person.

"Rin!"

Ignoring the pain that had appeared, Allen reached and grabbed the ravenette by the wrist, pulling him away from Shiro's shaking form. He didn't care about the blood that leaked from his eye and instead placed Rin behind him.

 **"...Allen...Allen Walker..."**

Shiro had gotten up to his feet, a maniac grin spreading across his face. Blue flames had begun to spread as Rin took a step back in fear. That movement also made his father's now blue-eyed gaze land on him.

" **Why _hello_ there son**," Shiro had sneered. " **That's right! Dear old daddy has come to see his little boy all for himself! You should be happy about that!** "

"Y-y-you're..." Rin had began. He didn't seem to be able to conceive any words though so Allen had done it for him.

" _Satan_ ," he had hissed rather venomously.

The possessed man returned his gaze over to the cursed Exorcist with his grin widening inhumanly further. " **It's nice to meet you again, _Millennium Earl_.**"

* * *

Rin was frozen. Shiro was standing there, leering at them like a demon. He had called Allen something. Millennium Earl?

 _"Satan,"_ Allen had practically spat. Never had Rin heard the teenager display such _negative_ emotion to a person. But then again, his words had confirmed the fact that whoever was within his father right now wasn't a person.

" **Just give me my son and I'll go**." Shiro's, no, _Satan's_ features twisted even further as blood leaked out from his face. " **I know how much you hate demons~. Oho, how you can't _stand_ them! And now you know that my son is one. I bet you just want him off your hands now**."

"No." Before Rin could even contemplate whether or not Allen _would_ actually give him up, the white-headed male spoke. His tone was unnaturally cold and harder than steel. "I _won't_ hand him over. And for your information, I don't hate demons. I hate what a majority of them choose to do. Innocence, activate."

For a moment, white had flashed, blinding Rin. And then Allen was gone, flying at Shiro with a broadsword in hand. He didn't even have time to contemplate where Allen had gotten such a big weapon nor why he was suddenly wearing a white cloak when he swung his blade.

" **The little Earl is weaker than I remember,** " Satan sneered, catching the end of the sword. " **What changed**?"

He didn't bother waiting for an answer, his body twisting around and taking Allen along with it. Using his inhuman strength, Satan threw Allen through the wall. A large crater formed as dust kicked up, sunshine peaking through the gap. Then Satan turned towards Rin.

" **Now that he's out of the way**..." The ravenette grew horrified as the demon tore off Shiro's fingers. " **I'd really like to savior this touching reunion but I'm thinking that this guy's body isn't going to last much longer, y'know? And that brat won't be down for too long either. It's as though he embodies the word _perseverance_.**"

Rin was frozen as he watched the blood fall onto the floor. A shadow-like rectangle formed and Satan began to chant something in another language.

" **I am the only demon powerful enough to create this.** " As the rectangle materialized, so did the creepy designs that adorned it. All-in-all, it was a large, macabre and ornate _thing._ " **The Gehenna Gate!** "

Something white wrapped around Shiro's wrist, making Satan pause. Then thick, black boot planted itself on his spine, sending him flying forward.

"Rin, get out of here," Allen ordered, his golden eyes flashing. "Rin!? Rin!"

But the teenager was still planted where he was, his gaze focused on the ominous black _mass_ that assembled by his friend's side. He hadn't even noticed the change in Allen's eye color.

" **You _are_ weaker,**" Satan chuckled, getting back to his feet. " **Normally, you can kick hard enough to shatter someone's back. But now...** " Allen's eye, the one that wasn't the eerie black and red with an upside-down pentagram that rested behind a gear-like monocle, twitched. Then his gaze shifted to the bleeding stump where Shiro's fingers use to be. " **I see... You're holding back because you care about this meat sack. The longer you wait, the more certain he is to die, y'know.** " His shark-like grin widened. " **But that doesn't matter. It-** " And then, for a split moment, he was gone. At least to Rin's eyes. He then appeared next to Allen with his hand striking outwards. " **-gives _me_ the advantage!**"

Allen danced away almost as fast with a certain grace, also taking the time to swing his broadsword at Satan. The demon leaned forward and latched his right hand onto Rin by the back of his suit jacket. Then he pulled the ravenette from his spot, taking him over to the gate.

"Rin!" Allen had exclaimed, taking off after them. Satan threw Rin and he went screaming. He didn't even see the Exorcist jump. The Sword of Exorcism had been tossed to the side so that he may have time to grab him. Allen had then caught Rin's clothing in his outstretched hand. But the both of them landed smack dab in the center of the gate.

"Allen! Y-You..."

"Just stay calm, okay?" To Rin's astonishment, the white-headed teenager gave him a gentle smile. "We'll get out of this somehow."

 _How the hell is he so calm!?_

" **Now isn't this a turn of events.** " Allen's smile dissipated in favor of glaring at the demon. " **You won't 'get out'. This gate doesn't release anything it catches. So h** **ow long Exorcist, do you think you can live in Gehenna?** "

"I think it's time for you to leave Shiro's body," he stated coldly.

" **Huh?** "

The sword Allen had strategically thrown righted itself behind him and went flying just as Satan turned around. Rin gaped as the blade went through his father's body, sending him flying into the gate as well. Satan released a loud, _agonizing_ scream, Shiro's body writhing until it came to a stop.

"Old man!"

Rin pushed through the gate and held his father in his arms.

"Rin..." Shiro had wheezed. His eyes had fallen back to their natural red color. "You're...my son..."

Rin felt tears cloud his vision as Shiro weakly turned his head towards Allen. "Promise me...Allen...Promise that you'll...protect...Rin."

"H-hold on!" Rin looked around desperately. "I can get us out! Old man, just stay with me!"

"I promise," he had heard Allen respond just as his sights had fallen on the sheathed katana. _Kurikara,_ his father had called it. Shiro had said to not unsheath it or else he would no longer be human. But he didn't care. _Shiro_ mattered! "Rin? Rin, what are you doing!?"

He could see Allen moving towards him in his peripheral vision but ignored him as his hand grasped the sheath. There's still time. He can still save Shiro!

Clamping on those thoughts with certainty, he pulled the sword out of it's bindings.

Blue flames practically exploded everywhere around him, blinding both Allen and the moving faces that were attached to the gate. The Exorcist had to shield his eyes from the abrupt sight and nearly missed the demonic-looking ravenette slamming the blade into the gates eye. When that was done, he sheathed his sword and looked over at his father.

Shiro was dead.

* * *

 _ **What do you think about this one? I'm...not the best at writing combat sequences so the part with Satan actually took a couple of days to do. I definitely reached my 6,000 limit without actually rushing it, so I'm happy!**_

 _ **~MillenniaPhoenix - Thank you so much! I'm so glad you think so!**_

 ** _~SheuOgama - I really want to try the Persona 3. I heard that it was really good! And dark. ...I thrive on darkness. :D_**


	5. Çhąpţεr łłł

**~Behind the scenes~**

Me: *can be seen sitting at a table in front of a computer with my head in my hand. Allen stands by my side with uncertainty while Lavi leans across from me, yapping away. Going by how it looks, whatever Lavi has been saying has been going on for a long while.

Lavi: _C'mooooon!_ Please let me in this story!? *He clasped his hands together as he held it in front of him.* Pretty please with a cherry on top?

Me: *sighs.* I already told you. _No._

Lavi: But why not!?

Me: _Because._ I have no use for you so far.

Lavi: ...That's a bit cold.

Me: Says the Bookman. Besides, you're going to be in _Tainted Innocence._

Lavi: Yeah but that's not for a while. And you sort of stopped writing it when you began revising this story! I don't even get why _Yuu_ gets to-

Me: _Shut. Up._ *glowers at the red-head.*

Lavi: *wisely stays silent.*

Me: *murmurs a thank you before turning towards the computer screen. Seconds pass...then...*

Lavi: Allen! Convince her to throw me in!

Me: *slams my hands on the table.* You know what!? Screw you! *I pause for a moment.* ...I'm so sorry Jerry." *I slip off the chair and leave the room.*

Lavi: *exchanges a glance with Allen.* Jerry? What's he got to do with this?

Allen: *shrugs.*

Me: *returns with a lighter in hand. I pass it over to Lavi.* Hold this for me, will you? Do that, and I might grant one of your desires.

Lavi: Awesome! *He holds up the lighter.*

Me: *takes a seat back in the chair. I wait for a few moments until the smell of something burning could be detected. As Lavi and Allen glance around for the source, I flash a demonic grin before cupping my hands around my face and shout at the top of my voice.* KANDA! LAVI BURNT ALL OF THE SOBA!

Lavi: WHAT!?

Kanda: *waltzes in seconds after.* What?

Me: *motions over to Lavi, who is still stupidly holding the lighter.* That rabbit over there burnt your soba.

Kanda: *glares at Lavi*

Lavi: No I didn't!

Kanda: *rests his hand on Mugen's hilt.*

Lavi: I-I didn't! I swear! She's the one who gave me the lighter!

Kanda: ...

Jerry *in background.*: My noodles!

Kanda: You're _dead_ baka usagi!

Lavi: *throws the lighter at Kanda and takes off running.*

Kanda: *blinks as the lighter hits him square in the face before narrowing his eyes dangerously. With a growl, Kanda takes off after the rabbit.*

Me: *laughs manically as the flames I created from earlier came creeping into the room.*

Allen: ...What's one of Lavi's desires that you're going to grant?

Me: *looks at him.* Well...remember how he said earlier how he wanted to pester Kanda but he couldn't find him?

Allen: Ooooh.

Me: Yep. I brought Kanda right to him.

Allen: ...You're evil.

Me: *smiles diabolically.* Yes, yes I am.

* * *

 **Bold/ _Bold Italics_ \- Neah and Satan talking (Mainly)**

Underline/ _Underlined Italics_ \- English Dialect (Since, y'know, everyone will be speaking Japanese. Everything Neah says is in English though so this don't apply to him.)

 _Italics_ \- _Character(s) thoughts (Or Timcanpy. "Gaaaah!")_

* * *

 _ **-Çhąpţεr łłł-**_

* * *

Raindrops landed on Allen's clothes. Most people had come with umbrellas. He had not. Countless times had he gone without that small luxury that he sometimes didn't even notice. And still, he could not cry. As he stared do at Shiro's grave, he eventually closed his eyes and pretended that the rain was crying for him. Yukio stood by his side silently, not an ounce of emotion betraying him. He had been the one to return in the aftermath.

 _ ****Flashback****_

 _Allen had stood still as Rin sobbed, deactivating his Innocence before averting his now silver-gray eyes. He swallowed hard, trying his best to suppress the hollow feeling that ate at him. He could have prevented this. If only he had tried_ harder. _Been_ faster.

 _If only his seal wasn't so damn weak today._

 _"Father?"_

 _Yukio's voice broke the suffocating silence as he peeked his head in through the door. Allen and Rin didn't dare move to even look at him as his shoes scraped across the floor._

 _" I could have saved him," Allen murmured._

" **You did the best you could,** " _Neah had said._

 _" I could have saved him," his nephew had repeated._

 _Yukio was dead silent._

 _ ****End Flashback****_

Allen felt his hands curl into fists, his eyes narrowing. Many people began to leave the cemetery.

And the rain still fell.

 _Bip. Bip. Bip. Bip._

Allen glanced over at the only remaining person. Rin stood there with a strange black box with buttons in his hand. A cellphone. It was marginally different than the corded telephone Finders use to wear.

 _" **We're not alone,** "_ Neah has stated. His guard instantly up, Allen tensed as he looked around. The area _seemed_ empty. But he knew very well how deceiving appearances could be.

 _Brrrring. Brrrring. Brrrring._

Tacky music permeated the area. No sooner than it had, a very tall figure stepped out from behind a nearby tree with a large grin on his face, a top hat set upon his dark purple hair as his forest green irises befell them. Soon after, more people began to come out from behind headstones, encasing Rin and Allen in a rough circle.

"Allen Walker! How nice it is to see you again!" The person had grinned, striding over confidently. He soon paused when he noticed Allen holding onto his own wrist. Then he switched his attention. "And you must be Rin Okumura. A pleasure to meet you."

"Eh..." was all the ravenette had begun with.

"My name is Mephisto Pheles. I am a friend of Father Fujimoto."

"Are you people...Exorcists," he inquired.

"We are known as the True Cross Order."

"The old man... He said that you would offer me protection."

"I'm afraid that as an honorary knight, I have certain responsibilities. You are the son of Satan. You must be killed before you present a threat to humanity."

"I wouldn't if I were you." Allen glared warningly at Mephisto. "Even if you aren't protecting Rin, _I_ am."

"True, that does raise some problems. Anything that involves _you_ means that nothing goes according to plan. So adding that into consideration, I wonder what I shall do you the two of you."

 _" **He is right about that plan phrase,** " _Neah had commented with amusement. Allen grew sour at the fact.

"Then let me join you!" Allen snapped out of his mood to glance over at Rin. The ravenette looked more determined than anything. "I don't care what you people say. I'm not Satan's son. I have no relation to that filthy beast! My only father...is the old man!"

"And what would you do... if you could become an Exorcist?"

" _Kick Satan's ass!_ "

There was a pregnant silence...Then Mephisto started laughing.

His guffaws rang though the air for a good while as Allen, Rin, and the many other Exorcists watched.

"Oh, this is _wonderful,_ " Mephisto exclaimed. "I haven't laughed like this in ages!"

"What's so damn funny," Rin demanded. A tick mark throbbed angrily on his forehead. "Frankly, I'd say that your outfit is what's funny here."

"You can't be serious," Mephisto had stated, faintly chuckling.

"Oh, I _am._ "

"Satan's son...an Exorcist. I like it! But don't think that joining only applies to _you._ I'm rather certain that Mr. Walker would like to go as well."

"But..." Rin glanced at Allen in confusion. "I thought that he already was an Exorcist."

"Oh, he is. But of a different sort. So what about you, Allen? Would you like to try your hand as a True Cross Exorcist?"

"I'd rather not," the white-headed male had stated rather blatantly. "Your war with demons have nothing to do with me but..." he paused for a moment and sighed. "Yes, I suppose that I have to."

"A-Allen, you don't have to join because of me!" Rin had exclaimed.

"Very well!" Mephisto snapped his fingers.

"S-sir Pheles!" one of his henchmen had protested. The colorful man turned towards him.

"If you want to try killing the son of Satan, by all means go ahead. But I should warn you, that boy standing in front of him is not one to take lightly. Even if you all attack as one, _you_ will be the ones to end up in the hospital with plenty of broken bones. How many depends on how merciful he plans on being today. Isn't that right, Allen?" The mentioned male glowered at him. Mephisto then turned towards Rin. "Even with Mr. Walker by your side, the path you've chosen is a long and treacherous one. Do you still profess that you will still take it?"

"I'm..." Rin gave Allen a quick side-glance. "...not a human or a demon anymore. In which case, I'll have to be an Exorcist."

Allen frowned as he noticed the seriousness in Rin's expression. Rin...was reminding him of himself.

* * *

"Allen?" Rin looked his friend up and down. "Why did you change your outfit?"

The white-headed male looked down at the uniform he was suppose to wear for this academy before regarding Rin with uncertainty. "Why didn't you?"

"What?"

"My, what a pleasant day," a voice had said. "A bright blue sky fitting for a grand new departure."

Allen barely glanced at Mephisto as they were waiting for their ride. Timcanpy had settled in his hands and the white-headed male was pulling on his face to exert some annoyance. He could detect traces of a headache forming. The residents of the church had come to say their farewells but not even they knew how to respond to Mephisto's bright eccentricity.

"You might want to give Tim a break," Seishiro had informed Allen, breaking him from his negative mood. "It must hurt him..."

"Oh, don't worry. He's fine." Allen smiled politely. "Timcanpy can stretch quite a bit."

"...If you say so."

Allen looked over at Rin to see how he was faring. The ravenette seemed rather disgruntled. Whether because of Mephisto or the predicament, he couldn't tell. Quite frankly, he would guess the latter.

 _Screeeeeech._

Allen flinched and let go of Timcanpy in order to brace for an attack. To his surprise, it was a...well, Allen _thinks_ that it was a vehicle but honestly...

 _" **What is**_ **that _,_** _"_ Neah demanded. _" **It's a-** "_

"Pink monstrosity," Allen finished for him.

Standing by the curb with faint smoke emitting from the back of the tires was _suppose_ to be what Allen had heard others called a limousine. Only, it was bright pink. With some flags on it. And the man driving looked like the kind of skinny creeper a mother would try to keep her kids from.

"That's one incredible car," Rin had stated before turning towards the priests. Allen turned sharply towards the ravenette with an incredulous expression. "So long!"

 _" **Ditch the kid. There's no saving him.** "_

 _No. No, there isn't-_

"Owwwch!"

Eyes turned to him as Allen held his ear, glaring at the culprit. Tim settled on his head.

"What was that for," he questioned, pouting at his golden friend. It's as though Tim had known what he was thinking, even if he wasn't going to follow through with it.

"Good morning," someone had commented.

Both Allen and Rin looked over in surprise (the latter shouting " _Yukio_ " incredulously while they did so). Something was off with the brunette. He had an unnaturally wide smile on that did not suit the tense aura he was giving off. Then again, he had been rather closed off since Shiro died. Allen was going to bet that he was just trying to get accustomed to the loss of his father. Hopefully.

"Sorry I'm late!" Yukio beamed at his brother. Allen felt a little more suspicious. His happy tone sounded rather forced. Too happy. "Still, this did come as a surprise! To think that the chairman would be kind enough to become our new guardian and Allen would be staying a little longer. Apparently Father had asked him to take care of us should anything happen. I never thought that I'd be attending the same school as you, big brother."

Allen glanced over at Rin, wondering if he noticed the strange falseness his brother was exuding. Instead...

"Wait! Whoooa whoa whoa whoa!"

Rin was grabbing the chief (or was it chairman?) by the front of his ridiculous outfit. "I said that I wanted to be one of you guys! I never said anything about wanting to go to school!"

" _Shh,_ keep it down, will you?" Mephisto grinned. "You want to be an Exorcist? Well if so...study is the first step."

Allen blanched. Study? _School_? He thought that the word _Academy_ was some sort of combat term. Something a little less than an organization. Allen has never been to _school_ before. Do they study _how_ to kill demons because he already has that down? Just stab them with Innocence and if they die, their gone for life. Literally. That's basically how he learned to kill Akuma. Fight, dodge, poof.

The white-headed male hanged his head and allowed the despair radiate off of him.

 _" **School can't be**_ **that _bad,_** _"_ Neah had tried to help. But his words fell on deaf ears.

"Allen?" Rin glanced over worriedly at his friend. Allen raised his head very slowly, still looking defeated. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I've..." He sighed. "I've never been to school before."

"What!?" All the priests and the twins gave him a strange expression as though Allen had grown a second head. Mephisto managed to look pleasantly surprised.

"But you seem gentlemanly enough," Izumi stated. "You _must've_ had some sort of learning."

"My Master wasn't exactly what you would call a good teacher," Allen huffed. He ignored their surprised looks. "I'm glad that I was the only one who had to be his apprentice. I've _had_ learned some stuff but not quite anything fit for a school."

Rin was looking as though he wanted to ask what it was.

"Let us be on our way," Mephisto had stated, breaking off the miniature blanket of silence. "Have you finished saying your goodbyes? You won't be able to return here for a while."

Allen nodded his head towards the priests for one final goodbye and entered the vehicle. Returning to places was never really the plan. He walked and never looked back. If his path takes him across one of the ones he's already been to, then that was pure coincidence.

He was not surprised to see Rin looking back. Yukio however... He seemed more determined to keep his attention on a book.

"How about a game of cards," Allen had asked, pulling his deck from his pocket. Rin instantly brightened. "We can play that Old Maid game I was teaching you about."

"I would rather fancy a game myself," Mephisto stated. A grin was on his face as he turned over to look at the brunette twin. "What about you, Yukio? Would you like to play?"

"..." The teenager stared at them for a while. "Sure."

Yukio moved over as Allen removed a queen from the deck and dealt all the cards. "Remember, Rin. You can only set down pairs. So if you have three cards of the same kind, you set two down instead of three. Then you are to take a card from my hand. Whoever has one of the queens at the end of the game is the Old Maid."

"Sounds easy enough," Rin commented.

 _ **Later...**_

"How did I lose _again,_ " Rin whined, throwing the cards onto the makeshift table. "I swear, you're cheating."

"You just can't take losing," Allen stated, happily shuffling his cards together. "And I actually took it easy on this game. It's not my fault that you're the Old Maid. It's a really simple game. I don't understand how you can't get the basics of it."

"Shut up," Rin grumbled, crossing his arms. His gaze landed on Kurikara, which was placed on the left of him. "Or I'll cut you."

Allen stiffened at the statement. All of the cards slipped from his hands and fell haphazardly on the floor. The sound brought everyone's attention towards him. He didn't even move to pick them up. He just...sat there.

"Hey, Allen," Rin said, growing a little worried. The white-headed teen looked at him and for a moment, it seemed as though he was looking at someone else. And then he wasn't. "A-Allen?"

"I'm sorry, my attention drifted." He smiled at Rin (the ravenette noticed that he seemed a little...sad) before he went back to picking up the cards. Rin decided that it would be wise not to question him.

* * *

Allen and Yukio had headed outside. Rin got pulled back into the limo at the behest of Mephisto, supposedly for Rin himself to put on the uniform.

"So I was right to put it on," Allen had breathed a sigh of relief. Neah showed up beside him.

 _" **Yes, I bet you would have freaked out if you hadn't.** "_

He crossed his arms and grumbled incoherent words at his adoptive uncle. He was not unaware of Yukio's hardened gaze.

 _Something is definitely up with him..._

Rin was soon out of the car and the three of them were walking towards the entrance.

"I'm getting nervous," Yukio had stated, clutching onto his bag.

"Nervous?" Rin raised an eyebrow. "It's just the entrance ceremony. If anyone should be nervous, it's Allen."

Allen, who was glancing at all the people around them, faced the ravenette. "Say what now?"

"Well, yes...but..." went Yukio. He didn't say much more, leaving Rin and Allen to give each other a questionable look. Once they went inside, Yukio paused and turned towards them. Allen was really hoping that he didn't get lost in this rather large academy. "I have to leave you guys now. I need to go elsewhere."

"Yeah, alright," Rin had responded. "Come on, Allen. And try to remember where you're going."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," the white-headed male had responded. He motioned over to his golem, which people would stop and stare at. "Timcanpy can record for me."

"What!?" Rin's eyes bulged. "Why isn't he in your pocket!"

"Because he didn't want to be in there?" Allen looked confused. "It's fine, he flies around in public spaces all the time."

" _All the time_ _!?_ Allen!"

"I'm sorry but I'm not seeing the problem here." Allen motioned to the other students. "Let's go before we are left behind. _Then_ we'll have getting lost to be worried out."

Rin couldn't help but agree with him begrudgingly. They followed the students until they came to a rather large stadium that had _rows upon rows_ of chairs. Thousands, maybe more, people have began to take their seats.

"What is this place," Allen had asked as they made their way up the stairs.

"You're kidding!?" Rin was staring at his friend for a while and when it became apparent that he wasn't, he remembered why. "Oh, right. You never went to school. This is a stadium... I think."

"You _think_?"

"Look, I've never seen one this big, okay!"

Shaking his head, Allen slid into a seat. As it turned out, school started out with one _long_ lecture. Allen was on the verge of falling asleep.

" _First year student representative, Yukio Okumura._ "

"Whoa," Rin had said. He had a proud smile on his face as he clapped along.

* * *

After the students had been welcomed to True Cross, a majority of them headed back outside. Allen and Rin were no different, watching as other students interacted with Yukio. Then Allen placed his hand on Rin's shoulder and tilted his head as if to say "let's go". The ravenette nodded and the two departed.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Mephisto had arrived by sitting on a lamp post.

"So how do I become an Exorcist then," Rin asked.

 _That's a good question._

"It's nice to see that you're enthusiastic but everything must follow procedure. For the moment..." Mephisto hopped off and onto the ground. "You'll be attending cram school."

"Cram school!" Rin exclaimed.

"Is...that a bad thing," Allen asked.

"It's like going to school for the second time in order to study. Or something like that," the ravenette offered.

"It's an _Exorcist_ cram school," Mephisto corrected. "You will begin as a Page, learning the art of Exorcism."

 _" **Is an 'art of Exorcism' a code word for potential death...?** "_

"Your lessons in school proper doesn't begin until the day after tomorrow but your Exorcist school starts today. I'll show you there." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, that reminds me. Allen, you will also be a part-time teacher."

"A what?"

Rin looked just as surprised as his companion.

"You will be their combat instructor. Oh, don't give me that face. You're the best on hand for this sort of thing. I'm sure that you have seen more years of war than any human alive."

Allen glowered.

"Besides, if you don't do so then Rin might not learn something and die because of it. Certainly you know as well as I at how high the turnover rate for Exorcists are."

 _" **He's trying to guilt you.** "_

"I know." Allen sighed as he answered both of them. "...Fine, I'll do it. For Rin's sake." He turned his attention onto the ravenette. "Starting tomorrow after our...schools, I will teach you how to use that sword."

"Wait, you know how to wield a sword!" Rin paused with a curious frown. "That's right...your broadsword."

"Yes, yes, that's good and all," Mephisto interrupted. "Before we get on our way, I have something else to tell you two. Rin: You're identity as the son of Satan should be a secret at all times. Now it will seem that you are keeping your tail nice and hidden already. And while your ears and teeth could be explained right away...those blue flames of yours are a different matter. That you must keep under strict control." He looked over at Allen. "And you. You must also keep those dark powers of yours hidden. While the Vatican wouldn't care about the Chosen Apostle using God's Crystal, they _will_ care about the Millennium Earl."

"Millennium Earl?" Rin looked over at Allen. "Isn't that what Satan called you?"

"It's just a title," the male brushed off. "One that can get me in serious trouble so whatever you do, do _not_ bring it up."

"...Alright."

"Despite you agreeing, I am still a little concerned so I will keep personal watch over you two in this first session." Mephisto began to walk. "Eins. Zwei. Drei~."

Mephisto snapped his fingers and, quite literally, _poofed_ into a dog. Allen and Rin stood there with wide eyes, staring incredulously at the canine that had just been a man.

"E-Exorcists can _transform_ _!?_ " Ron turned expectantly to his companion.

"Not me," Allen commented, his silver-gray irises still transfixed on the dog. "I don't think Exorcists _can._ "

 _" **I suppose it depends on what he means by 'transform'.** "_

He guessed that it was true. After all, Krory did turn into a more aggressive person when his Innocence was activated.

"No, that's just me," Mephisto had admitted. "Ah, yes. Let me give you two the 'key to the school'." The dog had somehow produced two keys that lingered in his teeth.

"Key," Rin had asked, taking both.

"This key will allow you to access the school of Exorcism from any door at any time. Try it out. Just take a random door and open it with the key."

They hopped off the strange bridge they were on and landed beside the door. Rin looked dubiously at the key before handing Allen his. Then, taking a few uncertain steps towards the door, Rin had shoved the lock into the keyhole and opened it.

They entered a rather large hall. Allen look up to see how high the ceiling was but lost it in the darkness that accompanied.

"You're in room 1106," Mephisto stated as they continue down the hall. He paused by the door and Rin looked as though all of this was going away over his head. Allen made a mental note to remind him later on in case he forgot. "Here we are."

"I'm...getting kind of nervous," the ravenette had commented.

The door soon opened, revealing a dirty little room with tearing wallpaper and cobwebs. Allen entered and took a good look around.

"Homey," he said aloud.

 _" **Of course you would find this place 'homey',** "_ Neah had snorted.

There were people of course. A couple of girls in the front, a hooded person in the back, a few boys near the window, and a kid with a puppet a couple desks ahead of them. The puppet was cute. The boy...he fell along the borderlines of creepy.

"Only seven," Allen had heard Rin ask as he went and settled down. His companion decided to be at least a _little_ courteous and gave a polite bow to the two girls. Timcanpy decided now might be a safe time to tuck inside his master's pocket.

"Hello," he greeted, smiling. "My name is Allen Walker. And you are?"

"N-Noriko Paku," the girl with chin-length brown hair had said. She looked startled at first and then she flushed a deep crimson. Her friend, however, eyed him with distaste.

"...Izumo Kamiki," she finally stated. "Don't you have your _friend_ to sit with over there?"

"Indeed I do." Bidding them a quick goodbye, Allen walked off and sat beside the ravenette.

"Alright, quiet down!" Allen turned towards the door to see who the teacher was when he felt himself freeze in surprise. "This lesson is about to begin."

 _" **Well, I guess we found out why Yukio was so strange today.** "_

Rin, however, was _flabbergasted._ He practically did a spit-take when he saw his twin enter like a professional. Yukio's gaze passed over both Rin and Allen. He looked self-assured. Confident. Not at all what Allen had come to associate him as a quiet, shy teenager. Observant even but not overly so.

"If this is Rin's reaction to his brother," Mephisto whispered to the white-headed male. "I can't _wait_ to see Yukio's reaction to you in your class."

"When is it anyways," Allen had inquired just as softly.

"After a couple more courses."

" _Mephisto,_ " Rin hissed after a quick interaction with his brother. "What's going on here? What's he-"

"Now, now," the dog interrupted. "Using my name without honorifics? I _am_ your superior, you know."

"Now, as you can see," Yukio continued. "I am the same age as all of you; this will be my first time lecturing. However, unlike you, I've been studying the art of Exorcism-"

 _" **Potential death.** "_

" _Quiet ,_" Allen muttered.

"-for two years. As such, in context of your Exorcism studies, I would like for you to call me 'sensei'."

 _" **Yeah... That's not going to happen. If anything, they should call**_ **you _sensei, nephew._** _"_

Allen refused to comment.

"Now then... How many of you have received a _mashou_?"

As soon as Yukio said that, he raised his hand. After a brief pause, and the words of his uncle, Allen raised his own hand. Then he glanced over at Rin, who looked more confused than anything. He should probably give him a hand.

"A _mashou_ is a wound..." Allen began.

 _" **Or illness,** " _Neah helped.

"Or illness inflicted by a demon. It's something that helps you see them. Since you're...half, you can already detect them."

Nodding to his friend thankfully, Rin raised his hand as well.

"Five of you," Yukio hummed. "Well then, I think that we should begin our first lesson by covering the _mashou_ rite."

Yukio continued to instruct, going on about a weak-leveled demon called a goblin. He pulled out a carton of what he called rotten milk and a vial of rotten animal blood. Apparently, they were suppose to lure a few goblins out. Allen...was not fond of the idea to say the least.

And Rin... He was extraordinarily silent that Allen had nearly forgotten about him in the lesson until the ravenette abruptly stood up. Allen brought his hand to his face and let it rest there, already having figured that this would turn into a one-sided yelling match. It's always how it was when the twin would yell at his brother. While Rin spouted anything that came to mind, Yukio would effectively poke holes into the conversation as though finding chinks in his armor. Unlike the other times, the male had a feeling that whatever holes Yukio had created would be aimed to hurt. After all, not once had the brunette glanced at Allen's or his brother's way.

" _Why didn't you ever tell me anything,_ " Rin yelled, grabbing onto Yukio's arm. Mephisto and Allen watched as the vial slipped and then break when it hit the ground.

 _" **...That half-demon is a**_ **real _piece of work,_** _"_ his uncle grumbled. The horrible odor of the rotten blood began to pervade the class.

The roof to the ceiling exploded. Allen was on his feet in an instant as shrieks sounded through the air.

" _D_ _emon,_ " one of the girls, Izumo, screeched.

"Huh!? Where?" went one of the boys. Allen hopped onto a desk and leaped at one of the demons, landing a fairly nice kick in one of their faces. It went crashing to the back of the room. He was about to activate his Innocence when Neah's voice stopped him.

 _" **Not yet!** "_

The white-headed male hesitated. The he jumped easily over another demon (Yukio shouted _hobgoblin_ ) and aimed a roundhouse kick at it's back. It was safe to say that that demon had gone flying as well. "Why not!? They're in danger!"

 _" **The most they'll do is get bit,** " _Neah scoffed. _" **Your eye hasn't activated, so they can't be too much trouble. Besides, do you**_ **really _want these kids to know that the wielder of a God Crystal is here with them? What if the Vatican gets informed and they try to take it away? They don't know how Innocence works._** _"_

Allen dodged the attacks of the hobgoblins as he pondered over it. Neah... wasn't wrong. Most of the Innocence would have been destroyed by now and what few hasn't was buried with their Accomadators.

"Allen!" Yukio was looking over at him. "Get out of here!"

Allen nodded and hurried over, dodging a few hobgoblins along the way. He didn't need to worry about being attacked because Yukio pulled out a gun and shot at any the was coming from behind. If he didn't activate his Innocence or use his Noah's abilities, Allen was just as capable of getting overwhelmed and beaten as any other mortal even if his physical ability exceeded theirs. With one last glance at Mephisto, who was sitting on the desk with a knowing and amused glint in his eyes, Allen felt his eye twitch before he exited the classroom.

"They are weak but many in number," Yukio had informed the students as they piled outside. "And they have been driven into a frightful rage. I must apologize; this was my mistake. I'm fairly new at this... I'm very sorry about all of this. If you can all wait just wait it out while I eliminate the demons." He turned towards his twin. "You too, Okumura."

Rin basically slammed the door on his classmates.

 _" **I wonder if it feels odd for Yukio to say his own surname like that.** "_

"What's his deal," some large teenager with a blond stripe in his hair ( _It kind of reminds me of Krory,_ Allen thought with somber amusement) huffed, crossing his arms.

"Brotherly spat, I'd assume," Allen had informed, pulling Tim from his pocket. The little ball gave a toothy grin before Allen had began pulling on his "face". Explosions and gunshots could be heard from behind the door.

"Do you think they're alright," Noriko asked. Allen looked over at her and smiled.

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

She smiled in return and visibly relaxed. The gunshots continued for a moment longer. Then silence. Or mostly silence. Because of Allen's enhanced hearing, he could hear some clips of their conversation. Finally, the door opened.

"I apologize for troubling everyone." Yukio smiled at them. "Let's continue this lesson in a different classroom. You too Okumura."

Allen took a brief glance inside the room before Yukio had shut it and sweatdropped.

He wished that he could be surprised when he saw the rather homey room in shambles with some flames dancing here and there.

* * *

Everyone stood within the center of the room. It was unlike any room they had seen. Equipment used for climbing, balance, and even stamina was spread throughout it. On the far end of the room was a set of wooden weapons used for sparring. Mephisto was in his normal form this time so that he may introduce Allen as their combat instructor. Yukio had gone silent and gaped at the white-headed male like a fish out of water. The chairman looked pleased at least.

"Are you kidding," the boy with the striped hair demanded. He eyed Allen skeptically. "He doesn't look like a fighter."

"But you saw the way he kicked those goblins, right," the pink-haired boy questioned.

"I assure you guys, Allen is more than capable of teaching you all some combat moves. Yukio, don't you think that you're excluded. He might not be a True Cross Exorcist yet but his years of experience far outweighs yours."

"That's enough Mephisto," Allen grumbled, shooting the chairman an irritated glare as he crossed his arms. "Can I teach my class now?"

"Of course, _Master_ Walker."

A tick mark appeared on the side of Allen's head as he closed his eyes in resignation. Mephisto chuckled and made his way over to the door. Sometimes, Allen really hated when that man spoke. It wasn't until he heard the door shut that he reopened his eyes and looked over at his awaiting class. He dropped his hands to his sides, Timcanpy going ahead and landing on his head. Some of the students looked at the golem curiously but he paid them no mind. He was busy thinking of what he should have them do.

"I suppose that I should start by seeing how much stamina you all have so I know what I'm working with." He motioned to a track that made its way all around the large room. "Run as many laps around this as you can at top speed. Push yourself as much as you can but no more than your able. Moving faster than you physically can limit you in many ways in a fight. Tripping up losses precious seconds that you could have used to _save_ one of your teammates if you were ever in danger. So when you run; _No racing._ " He stared at them and casually placed his hands behind his back. "Now get going."

The students grumbled as they headed over to the track, Rin included.

"How long are we running for," one of the bald students had inquired.

"..." Allen thought about it for a moment. "Until I say stop."

As they began to run, Allen headed over to a large structure and climbed it so that he could watch the Pages advancement. For the longest moment, it seemed as though it was Rin, Yukio, and that striped teenager who had the most stamina. Then that teenager fell away. A few moments later, so did Rin, leaving Yukio as the one with the most stamina. Allen turned his attention over to the hooded person and that creepy boy. Both were simply jogging.

 _" **Interesting,** " _Neah had mused.

"Indeed so."

After a couple more minutes of this, Allen hopped back to ground level and strolled back to the center of the room. "Alright, you can all stop now!"

More than a few Pages collapsed on the ground and tried catching their breath. Rin wandered over and placed his hands on his knees. "Running...for that...long..." he said, huffing in between words. "You're...ruthless."

"I'm training you," Allen said simply, having his eyes closed as he smiled at Rin. "It isn't suppose to be easy. And if you think _this_ is hard, wait until your sword training tomorrow."

Rin blanched at the thought.

"Anyways~." Allen clapped his hands together. "Now that we all have caught our breaths, Yukio is the one who has the most stamina out of you which...shouldn't be surprising, I suppose, since he's an Exorcist. Yukio, I'll have you and Rin work on your core." He looked over towards the striped-haired boy. "I think you will need to work a little on your strength." Allen faced the rest of the group. "The rest of you will grab onto a tire and run around the room with it. That should increase your endurance."

Multiple groans could be heard as the two people who were jogging began making their way over to the group of tires huddled beside the door. The striped-haired teenager looked around at Allen as the male placed a gloved hand on his shoulder before he motioned over to some monkey bars. Really _high_ monkey bars. "Try some pull-ups on those."

He nodded before walking off. Left with only the twins, Allen went ahead and faced them. "Now the core has a lot to do with balance. It is very vital in a fight. So what I want the two of you to do are handstands.

"Handstands," Rin asked with incredulity.

"Yes. Handstands. It involves the strength to hold up your body, coupled with balance. The longer you hold yourself in one, the more your arms will feel like jelly afterwords but it isn't without cause." Allen smiled at Rin. "How do you think I got over that gate like that?"

Yukio gave his brother a curious glance. Probably wondering about the gate.

"Yeah...alright," Rin grumbled.

"Excellent." Allen pointed towards a wall. "You can start over on that. Have your back facing the wall as you attempt one. Then keep it up for as long as you can. Yukio, since you're an Exorcist and probably have enough balance due to your training, I doubt that you would need to have a wall for support."

The brunette nodded.

"Good. Now get on it. I'll be keeping an eye on everyone's progress."

As they began to go towards areas that they found themselves comfortable with, Allen held out his hand and looked at Tim when he landed on his palm. "I want you to go to where you can best record everyone so I can view their progress later."

Tim nodded with his toothy grin and took flight. Then Allen did as he said and began to wander the room, observing his...students.

 _" **Look at that. A natural teacher.** "_

"Shut it," Allen huffed, eyeing the creepy kid and hooded person. He might need to get their names from Yukio later on. He waited until the bell was about to ring to call everyone over. "Good job today. Make sure to take a cold bath tonight to relax the muscles. Rotating hot and cold items will also be beneficial. You _will_ be sore tomorrow. How much so depends on you."

After that, the bell rang, dismissing everyone for Allen. As they swarmed out of his room, some complaining, he released a sigh.

 _" **I think that was a great first day,** " _Neah informed, manifesting by Allen's side as he placed a hand on his shoulder. His golden eyes regarded his nephew with pride.

"Yes, but it wasn't something I wanted to agree to," Allen responded. "I didn't want to end up in another war."

 _" **We never get the things we want.** "_

* * *

 _ **~Camelot1114 - I really loved it. I actually came across the Persona series by looking up wallpaper. Then I found the MC with his Evoker and searched it up to find P3. So I accidentally found out about the MC death before I actually knew what Persona was. It was still awesome to watch though.**_

 _ **~Neah-D-Campbell1 - Thank you very much~**_

 _ **~SheuOgama - I'll get around to it...once I lower my list of 50+ anime people have been recommending to me.**_

 ** _~YokaiAngel - Thank you!_**

 ** _~Guest - Well, here it is~_**

 ** _I'd also like to take the time to thank everyone who has followed either me, the story, or both! I consider it a huge blessing that you would even like it! Much less try to stick with it. I hope you all have a great day!_**


	6. Çhąpţεr łV

**Bold/ _Bold Italics_ \- Neah talking (Mainly)**

Underline/ _Underlined Italics_ \- English Dialect (Since, y'know, everyone will be speaking Japanese. Everything Neah says is in English though so this don't apply to him.)

 _Italics_ \- _Character(s) thoughts (Or Timcanpy. "Gaaah!")_

* * *

 _ **-Çhąpţεr łV-**_

* * *

Rin felt hopeless. He was bruised, battered, and sprawled pathetically on the ground. His whole _body_ hurt like he couldn't believe. If he had to compare this to what it could possibly feel like... Well...

He would have to say that he had been rolled over and crushed at least _twice_ by a rhino.

The mentioned metaphorical rhino smiled down at Rin and held his gloved hand out to the ravenette. Rin grumbled profanities under his breath as he accepted the hand, and Allen helped pull him back to his feet.

"Are you ready to start training again," the normally angelic male asked, tilting his head slightly.

" _Again!_ " Rin paid no mind as Allen flinched at the sudden loudness of his voice. "We've been going at this for _ages!_ "

"Rin," Allen stated calmly. "We've only been training for an hour."

" _What!?_ "

Allen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as Rin flustered about. There's no way that it had just been an _hour._ His frail-looking companion had grinded him into the dust _more_ times than he can count. The snowy-haired teenager's strength was enough to shatter _both_ wooden sparring swords the training room had provided. Rin thought that _he_ was the one who was suppose to have the monstrous strength.

And don't even get Rin started on what looked to be a darker side of his best friend.

He tugged nervously on the ribbon tied to his wrist as he recalled the sharp-toothed smile and soulless eyes before shuddering.

There was a side of Allen that shouldn't be seen by _anyone._ For that... was the true face of a demon. Rin didn't think that even Satan could compare. And that was saying something.

"Say, before we begin again..." Rin chuckled weakly, thinking of some way to distract Allen. He wasn't going to back entirely out of training. God only knows how much he needs it. No, see...he was just _tired_ of getting whooped for his first day. "How about we go grab some food?"

Allen perked up, just like the ravenette expected he would. Food almost mattered as much to him as Timcanpy did. Then he looked as though he was having second thoughts, which worried Rin.

"But the training..."

"We'll come back right when we're done eating." Rin clasped his hands together and looked at Allen with pleading eyes. "C'mooon, it'll only take a moment. _Please?_ "

"Oh, alright," the other teenager had finally sighed. "But we're coming _back_ afterwords."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." The ravenette took off towards the exit. " _Foooooood!_ "

Allen chuckled, shaking his head as he picked up Kurikara.

He had no clue that Rin had a bunch of stuff planned to prevent coming back to the training room for the rest of the day.

* * *

It was a rather bright morning. A little warm, yes but Allen found that to be of no problem. Neither did Timcanpy, who rested lazily in the sunlight on the window sill as his master went on with his daily exercises.

Half and hour later, he was trotting down the stairs, feeling more awake than before and happy to find that he still had the same amount of money in his pouch this morning as he did the night earlier. He paused by the open door to Rin and Yukio's bedroom. They were being their normal selves, which meant that Rin was now begging his brother to do something. It was easy to forget who the older twin was.

"Ah, Allen," the younger twin had said in relief, seeming dressed up. "You've at least looked over the material for my class, have you? Rin hasn't."

"Material?" Allen gave Yukio a strange look. "Are you talking about those books you assigned us yesterday?"

"The very same..."

"About that..." Yukio suddenly grew exasperated as if thinking ' _Honestly, I'd expect_ you _to at least do it.'_ "They're in Japanese. I can't read them."

Both twins shot Allen an incredulous look. The person just released an uncertain chuckle.

"You can't read Japanese," the brunette inquired. "But you speak it so _well._ "

"I can speak a _lot_ of languages well. There's only a few that I can read. Japanese isn't one of them."

"I thought that you were writing in English just to test me," Yukio admitted. "Wait, how did you answer them if you couldn't read them?"

" _Oh,_ " Rin spoke up. "So _that's_ why you had me read the questions to you." The ravenette suddenly gave Allen a suspicious look. "Are you sure you can't read? Because you can order food well enough."

"Thankfully, the menus have pictures of the items," the snowy-headed male stated. Rin's lips parted to form an O. He looked back over at Yukio. "Are you going somewhere?"

"He's going exorcising," Rin commented begrudgingly. He crossed his arms and glared at his twin. "I'm better at learning on the field than I am at pouring over some book."

"I suppose we're both the same in that regard," his friend smiled. "Yukio, I would also like to come along and see how a True Cross Exorcist gets rid of demons. If it helps, I can at least watch over Rin."

"Hey! I'm not a child!" The ravenette had exclaimed, proving exactly how much of a child he was.

"...Alright." Yukio sighed. "But you two do what I say. I don't care what Mephisto said about you having 'experience', Allen. You're not an Exorcist."

"I'm not a _True Cross_ Exorcist," he corrected.

"I wasn't aware that there was a difference."

"Not many people are."

Yukio sighed, having grown use to Allen's strange answers. He instead pulled out a key. "Now this is a supplier's key. A key that only _q_ _ualified_ Exorcists are allowed to possess."

"You sure got a lot of keys," Rin commented.

"It's for moving around," Allen answered. "Mephisto had a lot of traps surrounding True Cross, which means that the only way to bypass them are with his own keys." He looked unamused. "Make sure you use them. His traps are not fun to fall into."

"You make it sound as if you have fallen into one before," Yukio commented.

 _" **He has,** " _Neah spoke up.

"Maybe... Maybe not," the male had responded. "If we're going to exorcise a demon, perhaps we shouldn't be standing and talking."

"I agree." Yukio shoved a key into the door and pushed it open. "Come on."

They found themselves walking across a bridge more than a few stories up. Yukio led their small line with Allen lingering in the back. Tim fluttered about, as if teasing the twins on the fact that he could fly. Allen smiled at his antics. Rin...well, surprisingly, it didn't take long for him to understand what the golem was up to.

"Hey! Stop showing off! Just because you can fly and we can't doesn't mean that you can just shove it in our faces!"

Timcanpy smiled. Rin blanched. Neah laughed.

 _" **I love when people react like that to his smile**_ _,"_ he said as he appeared, wearing an amused smirk. He walked beside his nephew as they continued across the bridge. _" **Tim's the best thing I've ever made.** "_

"He's one of a kind," Allen agreed. "Tim, don't go too far. I don't want to have to go looking for another cat."

The golem proceeded as if it didn't hear him. Allen grumbled quietly to himself as his uncle laughed once more. Neither of them seemed to notice the discreet glances Yukio would shoot at them as he slowed down enough to walk beside his twin. Rin was chatting his brother's ear off about the key.

"I'll be heading inside to grab a few things," Yukio had informed Allen and Rin when they made it to the house at the end of the bridge. Neah had disappeared only moments before. "So you two just wait here a minute, alright?" Allen merely nodded. Rin, however...

"Can we go in too?"

"This shop is only for Exorcists and above. I won't be long."

"Fine, fine," Rin mumbled. Yukio began to ascend the stairs. When he paused, both Allen and Rin shared a questionable look.

"And Rin, no wandering about and _touching_ things," the brunette ordered, turning abruptly back.

"Just go!" A tick mark appeared on Rin's forehead. "And hurry it up!"

Yukio disappeared inside the house, leaving Allen with a very irritated and mumbling Rin. He seemed to be mocking his twin.

"I'll have you saying 'help me brother' one of these days."

Allen nodded along, pretending to be listening as he looked to the sky for his golem. It was vacant, meaning that Tim has gone searching elsewhere for entertainment. He went back to patiently waiting for Yukio to return when he noticed that it had grown quiet. Too quiet.

 _Clang!_

Allen turned towards Rin. Only, the spot the ravenette was standing in was empty. He quickly ascended the stairs off to the side to see what trouble the teenager had managed to land himself in.

"D-demon!" A girl voice had exclaimed.

"I'm not!" had come Rin's.

Allen stopped by Rin's side, taking a look at the situation.

"That's the Gate of Warding! It only reacts to demons!"

The white-headed male glanced at the gate door that was on the ground and held in a sigh. Minutes out of his brother's sight and Rin already does what Yukio had specifically said _not_ to do. Allen gave the girl a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll fix this right up and be on our way."

 _" **Just avoid touching the other gate,** " _Neah warned. _" **It's still active and reacts to**_ ** _anything made of Dark Matter. As usual, these idiot Exorcists only_ think _that it reacts to demons._** _"_

 _The remaining gate does emit a small static feeling,_ Allen noted, taking a step forward.

"P-please don't hurt me," the girl shrieked, encouraging him to hold his hands up in surrender. "Don't come in!"

"It's okay. We're _not_ going to hurt you. Like I said, we're just going to fix this..."

"No!"

"Look, we're not a demon," Rin yelled as he pointed to himself as he walked inside. His frustration must've built up. "Okay, so I'm not human either but.. Don't just go deciding things like that!"

The girl screamed and began to crawl away. "Stay back!"

"Rin..." Allen sighed.

"Somebody! Help me- _Ah_!"

And the girl, who tried to crawl away, faceplanted the ground. With Neah wondering on how that should be possible, Allen and Rin immediately headed over.

"Are you okay," Allen had inquired, offering his hand to the young girl. "Here."

"...Hey," Rin began. "What's wrong with your legs?"

As the girl hesitantly took Allen's hand, he gently pulled her up. She wobbled a bit, seeming to have trouble standing upright by herself. A pang hit Allen as he recalled when Lenalee was in the same way and held her steady in the same fashion as he did once before with his comrade. Her dress went down to her ankles. It was hard to see when one was standing up but Allen was certain that he could see the veins in her ankles seeming rather pronounced.

"I have to lay down the manure," the girl stated. She looked over sadly at where the gate was.

"Rin, pick the gate up," Allen ordered, slowly leading the girl over towards it. He smiled gently at the blonde when she looked up at him in surprise. "Like I said before, we'll help you."

She smiled back with some uncertainty and nodded.

Once Rin had the gate up and Allen set the girl and the manure down where she wanted, he went to help Rin put the gate up where it belonged so it wasn't in the way.

"How did I end up doing this again," Rin demanded, barely able to hold up the gate. Not that Allen could see the problem. He knew well enough of Rin's strength. Surely it could handle a simple gate like this.

"I told you to," Allen provided, smiling innocently when Rin scowled at him.

"Thank you," the blonde girl had said. "With the gate in the way, I couldn't lay down the manure."

"It's making my eyes water," Rin commented.

"It's dilated cow manure." She laid some more down. "With my legs like this, I was having a fair amount of trouble. It's nice to have a little help."

"What the hell's _that_ suppose to mean! First you call me a demon then Allen makes me do your work for you!"

"I'm...sorry," the girl apologized. Allen shot Rin an unappreciative look as they set the gate back where it was suppose to go. Rin went over and knelt in front of her. "I was just taken aback and..."

"Well, it's no big deal," Rin grumbled. "I _did_ kind of break your gate and all."

"'No wandering about and touching things'," Allen quoted.

"Shove it, Allen!"

The blonde girl giggled and held her hand out to Rin, who had looked taken aback at the gesture. "My name is Sheimi Moriyama."

The teenager took it gingerly, as if afraid that she would pull away and say ' _Just kidding'_. "R-Rin Okumura."

* * *

Sheimi's scream filled the air as what Yukio had described as "roots" began to enlarge. A demon in the shape of the flower held tightly onto the now unconscious girl. A shield.

" _We'll be together forever in this garden_ ," the flower demon had said. Then it began to laugh maniacally.

"Brother...could you help me with this?"

Rin grinned brightly at his twin. Allen, meanwhile, grabbed his wrist. Neah's warning about using his Innocence though rang in his mind.

 _" **Use your Noah abilities,** " _his uncle commented.

"Allen, I need you and Rin to keep that demon busy," Yukio ordered.

"On it," Allen responded, sprinting at the demon. Rin ran by his side, leaping up as he prepared to swing his katana. The demon immediately pulled Sheimi into it's path.

" _If you think you can slice me, go ahead and_ try _,_ " it cackled. " _As long as you don't mind making some lovely gashes on this girl as well!_ "

Rin cursed as he landed. Allen used the time the demon had spoken to make his way around the enlarged flower and punched it as hard as he could in it's...petals. Right above where he suspected Sheimi's head to be. He made sure to pull his left-handed glove off. With demons, he found that his left hand could _hurt_ them in their deactivated form. The skin _was_ Innocence after all. It didn't do more than just hurt though.

Still, it sent the demon screaming as it turned rapidly to face Allen. He glared at it, his silvery eyes flashing gold.

" _E-Earl...?"_ Fear laced the demon's voice.

A gunshot rang and the demon positively shrieked. Sheimi fell from it's grip and went careening to the ground. Not wasting a second, Allen moved forward and caught the unconscious girl in his arms. Rin was there a split second after, shredding the demon to pieces with Kurikara.

 _" **When I said abilities...I wasn't talking about your impartial Noah transformation.** "_

"A-Allen," Sheimi asked, her eyes slowly opening.

"You're alright." He smiled softly. "The demon's gone. You're garden should be safe."

She nodded, her cheeks flushing into a red color as Allen helped set her down. Sheimi looked down at her feet, as though surprised that she could find herself standing with no problem.

 _Just like Lenalee..._

* * *

Allen was aware of the fact that the Black Order was more or less a secret organization. It was highly protective of it's files even if it were something the Noah Clan weren't particularly interested in. The Noah wanted to just _slaughter_ the Exorcists. Not learn anything from them. As such, he figured that it was the Bookman Clan who would have the history of the Black Order written down, and he was certain that they do, as well as the name of each individual coupled with whatever backstories they could find of the people. What he _didn't_ figure was that the current Exorcists would have books containing history on the Black Order as well, even if it was more partial. They definitely made it seem more ominous and mysterious than it was.

"The Holy War were a made up of three sides. Exorcists from the Black Order, Demons birthed in Assiah known as Noah as guises for God's Apostle, and an unnamed third side," the current teacher from this class droned on. Not many people in this class seemed to take it seriously. Rin definitely didn't and had this glazed over expression in his eyes. Sooner or later, he will be falling asleep and Allen would have to wake him up.

 _" **Demons birthed in Assiah,** " _Neah snorted. _" **Demons**_ **can't _be born in Assiah. They all are created in Gehenna. Only half-demons, like Rin, can be made naturally here. Idiots, these lot. You should have just taken Rin as an apprentice and trained him yourself. Kurikara will do just as good as any other Innocence. Listening to these humans preach the past like this. Pathetic._** _"_

Allen agreed with Neah on the misinformation but taking Rin on as an apprentice?

That thought had never crossed his mind until now.

"The Black Order did not leave the names of their Exorcists behind," the instructor continued. "Instead, historians had decided to use the names of their weapons, which remained, into their texts in order to differentiate them. Most Exorcists had died on December 25, 1889. The only one said to have survived the war and be it's victor was a male who wielded a weapon that had been called Crown Clown. Unfortunately, not much is known about him and he disappeared after the war, never to be seen from again."

A very _loud_ snore, thankfully, interrupted the lesson. All eyes turned to Rin to find that the ravenette had fallen asleep. Allen sighed in relief as the teacher began yelling at him. It seems like history was to be his least favorite subject.

* * *

Allen was walking beside Rin when they came upon Sheimi in the hallway. She was on the floor, strangely.

"What are you doing over there," Rin asked as Allen knelt beside her to help her up.

"N-Nothing," she exclaimed, pushing Allen away before heading inside the class. Allen and Rin glanced at each other. "What was that about," the ravenette inquired.

Allen shrugged and headed inside.

Yukio handed some papers, mentioning an Exwire authorization exam before some sort of break. He said how he wanted to have a week training camp for it.

"If you wish to perform in the training camp, please fill this form with acquisition hope 'meister' and submit it to me Monday." Yukio handed out the papers. Rin looked at it with perplexity before heading over to the stripe-headed kid, _Bon's,_ group. Allen filled out the option for knight. It was the best fit for him here. After he was finished, he began stretching Timcanpy's face.

"Rin looks like he has more fun when he's with other people," Sheimi commented, breaking Allen from what he was doing. He glanced over at Rin and smiled faintly when he noticed them getting along.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Rin...finds it difficult to make friends. Sometimes, I'm not even sure if he realizes when he has them."

* * *

"Try summoning a familiar."

Allen stared at the paper in his hands with apprehension. Bon, Konekomuro, Shima, Paku, and Rin didn't seem to be able to do it. Kamiki and Sheimi did is with ease. And now all eyes were on Allen. He swallowed.

The symbol on here was something that was suppose to summon _demons._ What if he uses it and... summons Master Cross?

The man was still alive. Allen wasn't even sure he _could_ die. Never seeming to age, surviving a bullet to the head from Apocryphos, escaping Road's dreams. It didn't matter if Allen held the title of the Earl that he oh-so hated. It didn't matter if he was a Noah and more than likely one of the strongest beings to roam the Earth. His Master _still_ scared him. _Still_ sent him debts. That man himself surpasses the Devil in each and every form.

"Allen?" A worried tone escaped Rin as he watched Allen sweat where he stood, staring at the paper as though it were some fearsome creature. He had never seen his friend anything like this.

"It seems like I can't summon anything," Allen stated as he chuckled weakly, tearing the paper into twos. Then fours. "That's probably a good omen. I don't quite feel like seeing Master... Mr. Neuhaus? May I please be excused?"

"..." The instructor glared at Allen with his singular eye before nodding. Allen was quick to escape the classroom.

* * *

Rin couldn't breath. They had begun the training camp and already, the first night, Rin found himself pinned beneath a two-headed demon by his neck. It's smell was terrible, the acrid smell stinging his nose hairs every time he tried to breath. He had told Sheimi to get Yukio or better yet, Allen and instead...

Any more of this and he'll be unconscious, left to the mercy of this demon.

His right hand searched for his sword. No, even if they find out who he is, Rin will not go down easily. His fingers barely touched the sheath of his sword...

 _Wham!_

A boot collided mercilessly with the first head of the demon. As if in slow motion, that head collided with the second one and the rest of the demon went crashing sideways in a daze. Gasping for air, Rin almost didn't notice Allen helping him to his feet.

"You're eye," he rasped, catching sight of the left side of Allen's face. He had forgotten that Allen's eye could change. He hadn't been able to ask about it the first time.

"Later," the teenager hissed, facing the demon with a scary cold expression.

" ** _Earl,_** " the demon snarled, bringing up the title Allen said not to mention to anybody. It coiled up for an attack. Allen glared at it. " ** _Die_** _!_ "

A gunshot sounded in the air, followed by a couple more, each one hitting their marks. The demon flinched and instead of heading towards Rin and Allen, it burst through the windows and into the night. Allen darted towards the window.

"Where are you going," Rin asked incredulously. His best friend stopped and looked at him.

"After the demon. It's still in the vicinity."

"You're eye..." Yukio had stated, holding his gun.

"It's a curse. I'm able to see creatures like demons." Allen put on a waning smile. "I hope that you didn't think the scar was just for show." Rin blinked. Did he...just try to crack a joke? "I'll be back. I must catch up before it decided to leave the radius."

Without waiting for a response, Allen hopped out the window, leaving Sheimi, Yukio, Rin, and Kamiki in a shocked silence.

"Aren't we on the third floor," Sheimi asked.

Suddenly panicking, Yukio and Rin went running to the window to search the ground for Allen's body.

But Allen had activated his Innocence when he was out of sight and was now scaling the dorm with the ribbons of Crown Clown. He landed on the top of the roof just as his eye deactivated.

"The White Demon itself has appeared," Nehaus, the man from their sealing class, had commented. "Though I suppose I shouldn't call you that since you're not _really_ a demon, are you? Even if you're...current attire fits the description of you in the demonology records."

"I suppose it depends on the crowd," Allen responded coldly. "'White Demon' happens to be my gambling title." Nehaus' lips twitched. "Why are you attacking the students."

"It was an order."

"Really?" Allen narrowed his eyes. "And who ordered you to do so?"

"I think you're a smart boy. You're the one who lived for a little over a century. Who do you think would do such a thing?"

"...It's Mephisto, isn't it?"

"Bingo." The man grinned darkly at Allen. "Now if you will excuse me, I'll just be on my way."

Without another word, Nehaus turned towards the roof entrance and began to head that way. Allen just watched him go with his right hand clenched in a fist.

 _" **Do I see a visit to the Time Demon in the near future,** "_ Neah asked, smirking as he appeared by his nephew.

"Yes," Allen replied.

Neah's smirk widened.

* * *

 **Omake: What happened when Timcanpy flew off on their way to Sheimi's place?**

Tim really wondered how he got into these situations.

He was just flying around, minding his own business when he came across his enemy.

A cat.

Those things were _everywhere,_ always trying to catch him when they so much as glanced at him. Timcanpy really disliked cats. Couldn't they try eating something else _but_ him?

To escape from the rampaging feline as it streaked across the cobblestone towards him, Tim immediately headed straight up to where another bridge was. To his surprise, there was _another_ cat there taking a swipe at him. So back down he went, flying away from the first cat he had come across.

 _Nothing_ would shake this beast. Timcanpy had flown over and under tables, chairs, benches, through people's feet and even settled on this lady's beehive once only to end up in the jaws of the cat. He was _just_ about to get away when he caught a whiff of delicious food and changed track. It was a hot dog stand.

Timcanpy landed on the stand and began to feast on the sausages.

For a second, life seemed complete. His Master was somewhere safe _and_ he got to enjoy a good meal. Unfortunately, Tim seemed to have forgotten that these stands were normally manned by a person.

"Hey! What the- Get out of here! _Shoo_!"

" _Mrrreeeeoooow_!"

The man yelped as the cat following Tim leaped up and attached itself onto his face. The golem quickly ate himself one last sausage before taking off. The cat scratched the man's face more before hopping off of him and streaked after him.

Again, Tim was dodging and weaving, trying to find a way to get rid of this feline as he began to make his way back to Allen. Allen has always protected him from cats when they hadn't yet ate him.

The poor cat, because it had been chasing Tim, it had nearly been burnt alive when it ran across the stove Tim had easily weaved past. Even still, it did not stop.

Timcanpy was _so_ relieved when he saw Allen, Rin, and Yukio returning across the bridge from him. Allen's face even had a _true_ smile flashing. Tim paused happily to memorize that. His Master's true smiles were always so rare.

Unfortunately, that pause made Allen's true smile disappear into a look of irritation. A question mark appeared over Timcanpy's head. It wasn't until he was engulfed in darkness that he understood.

Timcanpy had been eaten by a cat.

Again.

Poor Allen had to chase the cat for hours on end as the twins laughed. It took even more hours until he was able to get his precious golem back.

* * *

 ** _~UnforgivingWolf - Thanks! He's a favorite of mine too. I actually just made a painting of that adorable golem the other day._**

 ** _~Ryuakilover - I'm sorry to hear that. Yes, I actually do write my stories on another website. Wattpad is my second choice. I believe my name on there is also KA-336. I hope this response doesn't come too late._**

 _ **~Soulfire47 - That mostly come from the knowledge on what the Vatican of the Black Order had done when they had Innocence. Now that most Innocence the Black Order had is either gone or destroyed (with the exception of the ones buried with their Accomadators), the God's Crystal is even more valuable than before. Neah speculates that the current Vatican might try their own experimentation on it and, like in the past, it won't be a pretty ordeal to go through.**_

 _ **~King of spiders - I'll definitely try to keep writing more!**_

 ** _~Nagisa Acchan - You're exceedingly welcome~._**


	7. Çhąpţεr V

**Bold/ _Bold Italics_ \- Neah talking (Mainly)**

Underline/ _Underlined Italics_ \- English Dialect (Since, y'know, everyone will be speaking Japanese. Everything Neah says is in English though so this don't apply to him.)

 _Italics_ \- _Character(s) thoughts (Or Timcanpy. "Gaaah!")_

* * *

 ** _-Çhąpţεr V-_**

* * *

Allen had kept forgetting that the dorms he was staying at was temporarily housing his classmates. So the next day, he was caught off-guard when a mischievous-looking Shima was closing Rin and Yukio's room behind him.

"What are you doing," Allen asked, snapping the pinkette's gaze over to him. Shima immediately grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" The snowy-haired male did not look convinced. This did seem like _Lavi_ after all.

"Okay, okay. I... left some stag beetles in Rin's bed. To scare him later." Shima's smile widened.

Allen shook his head and motioned for Shima to go on. He did so gratefully and Allen waited for him to disappear around the corner to open the twin's bedroom. He headed over to Rin's bed and pulled over the covers.

Stag beetles were indeed there, crawling on the bed without care. Allen smiled softly to himself and pulled the cover over how it was.

 _" **Check Yukio's bed,** "_ Neah informed. Allen nodded and wandered over to where the brunette usually slept. He pulled back those covers as well...

Yep, there were stag beetles. This time, the white-headed male had what Lavi once dubbed "Black Allen's smile" on. Oh, he had an idea. And these stag beetles were going to be a part of it.

 _" **You know...** " _Neah appeared. _" **That smile right there unnerves me.** "_

"It's fine," Allen had stated, unknowingly keeping to Japanese now as he spoke. "I just had an excellent idea for a prank."

 _" **When Black Allen pranks, it is fun to watch,** " _his uncle admitted.

Allen picked all the beetles carefully off either bed, making sure that their covers stayed at least in a similar fashion that either twin had left it in.

A little later, Allen was walking to the cafeteria. Some of his classmates, like Bon and Konekomaru were already eating. Bon's eyes rested on Allen as he entered.

"It's strange not seeing you with Okumura," he commented, looking rather annoyed. Though Allen was certain that it had to do with Rin himself. He had barely spoken much to the striped-headed teenager but was always nice when he did. "You two are always together."

"Well, we're inside the same dorm." Allen smiled brightly. "I know every nook and cranny to move around quickly in case either of the brothers need my help."

Neah snorted. _" **More like**_ **I _know every nook and cranny._ You _still get lost on your own._** _"_

"Shut it," the male grumbled under his breath. He turned away from the Pages and headed over to the kitchen. He peeked his head in. "Ukobach?"

A small, satry-like imp appeared on the counter, staring at Allen with delight.

 _"Good morning Master Earl! Good morning Neah!"_ He had spoken in the demonic tongue.

Allen held back a grimace at his title. Ukobach, no matter _how_ many times Allen had corrected him, insisted on calling Allen that. At the behest of Mephisto, most likely. He still had to pay that man a visit.

Neah manifested by his nephew's side, leaning against the counter across as he smiled, almost fondly, at the creature.

 _" **Good morning, Ukobach. I hope that you're prepared for Allen's order.** "_

 _"Always!"_

The snowy-headed male smiled at the duo. Demons were the only creatures able to see and hear Neah besides himself. They suspected the Dark Matter to be involved, somehow linking them enough to see what creatures not made of Dark Matter could not.

"I'll make sure to slow my order down, for sure this time," he promised. Neah gave him a look as though he didn't believe him. Ukobach pulled out a paper pad and a pen. Then Allen ordered the various items he wanted to eat.

"I'm sorry," he apologized as Ukobach reread the list back. "I still went fast, didn't I? Yes, that's everything."

 _"It's okay, Master Earl."_ Ukobach smiled. _"I'll have your food ready in no time!"_

Konekomura and Bon's expressions were definitely a delight for Neah to see as they watched Allen carry his order out to a vacant table some spots away from them and eat them all in seemingly minutes.

* * *

 _" **You just**_ **had _to interfere,_** _"_ Neah had grumbled later. Allen was sitting on the floor with a rock on his lap and Tim sitting nonchalantly on his head. Yukio had called those rocks a Baryon. Supposedly, it's a kind of rock possessed by a low level demon that increases it's heaviness over time. He could definitely feel the pressure so far but it wasn't bad. He was wondering why the others were sweating. _" **Look what you have gotten yourself into.** "_

Kamiki was off all day today. Then she and Bon got into it. Allen managed to knock Rin away from her fist and grab it before it had even reached Bon. And now...

Yukio was a sadist. Of that, he was certain.

 _I really should have left those beetles on his bed,_ he thought.

"This is what we call 'collective responsibility'," Yukio informed. "The aims of this training camp are twofold. Firstly, to increase your abilities, and secondly, to deepen your relationship with your fellow students."

"I refuse to get along with these brutes," Kamiki had stated carelessly, bringing up an irritated look on Bon's.

"I'm afraid you'll have to." The brunette adjusted his glasses. "No Exorcist can fight alone!"

Well, _normal_ Exorcists can't anyways.

Yukio gave more explanation on that before saying that he was going to be leaving for about three hours. According to him, he locked all exits and was going to increase the wards in his absence. Allen narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt a tingle move down his spine. And then the brunette left, leaving Allen to a group of kids who were asking if Rin was _really_ related to him. Then Bon had to go and start up a yelling contest with Kamiki. Allen pulled out his deck and waved it at Rin who had the misfortune of being stuck between them.

"Card game," he asked. To which the ravenette nodded his head to. Just before Allen was going to deal the cards, the lights went out.

 _Crash!_

"W-what was that," Kamiki asked while Shimi shrieked.

"I'm sorry," Allen apologized, now standing. "That was me. Or rather, the rock."

"Jeez, what'd you do," Shima demanded incredulously. " _Throw_ it?"

 _" **Pretty much,** " _came Neah's voice.

"Shut it," Allen ordered, placing Timcanpy in his pocket. He didn't want the golem out in a small space if there was trouble. To his surprise, Shima gave a look in his direction but obeyed. He had meant that for his uncle...

"Is this a blackout," Kamiki asked.

"No. I can still see the lights through the window."

"What's that mean?"

"The blackout is restricted to this building." Shima and the others removed their rocks. Allen narrowed his eyes as his curse activated. "Let's go check the corridors."

"Be careful out there, Shima," Konekomura had stated fearfully. Shima laughed nervously in response.

"No, wait," Allen exclaimed, darting to the door just as Shima was pulling it open. He pulled the pinkette from the way and slammed the door shut. A hand soon burst through, just missing Allen as the Exorcist jumped out of the way. Then it opened the door and revealed itself.

"It's that ghoul," Rin gaped. "Allen, I thought you took care of it!"

"It disappeared before I could," was Allen's retort. Then the second head went and... _barfed?_ on the Pages. Or rather, it tried to. Allen hopped in the way and received the most of the dark substance.

 _" **Good. That's Ghoul Miasma. It's toxic to humans.** "_

Upon learning that, Allen resolved to kill it. He mustered all the strength his left hand had and punched the ghoul as hard as possible. The creature went tumbling backwards and then, much to everyone's astonishment, tree branches began to appear, twisting and weaving their way to keep the ghouls from reaching them. Allen became worried when everyone but him and Rin collapsed.

 _" **You manage to block most of the miasma but some still got on them. You ended up giving them a longer window to survive until treatment,** " _Neah informed.

Allen clenched his hands into fists. This ghoul, which was currently breaking up into two ghouls, he could handle with ease...if he had Crown Clown. He can't use his Noah powers without revealing that accursed form. Neah had told him on occasion to practice that but he just couldn't. That side of himself disgusted him _so_ much. And now he was _really_ wishing that he did. Maybe if Shima stops pointing that phone light at him, he could try. Darkness was a helpful advantage.

"I'll head outside and draw them off," Rin volunteered. "If I can get the both of them to follow me, then you all run."

"No," Allen stated, glaring at the boy. The ravenette looked taken aback.

"But Allen, I can go find help or at least turn on the lights."

" _No._ " The male's tone had grown colder.

But of course, Rin did not want to listen. He turned to the branches with him saying that he's strong and proceeded to move ahead.

"Watch out for each other," Allen ordered them. "If a ghoul stays behind, I'm sure that your talents will keep it at bay." He cracked his knuckles, a dark aura leaving the white-headed male. "I'm going to kill Rin."

Bon nodded, seeming shocked by the sudden behavior, as Allen made his way through the branches.

* * *

Rin only wanted to reach the switchboard and turn on the lights. And he was so damn _close_ to it. That stupid demon pulled him away and now he was staring at the face who stuck ghouls on him in the first place. Their teacher, Nehaus.

"The son of Satan," the man said. He gaze drifted to something to the side of Rin. "White Demon."

"Huh?" Rin turned to see what he was looking at, only to find nothing there. Then there was a shriek. Spinning to the source, he found that it was the ghoul! And the ghoul had a black claw that was protruding from it's chest. As it disappeared into nothingness, Allen was standing there, flicking the black blood off his claws before settling his cursed eye and gold one on Rin. The ravenette gulped, vaguely noting on how his friend's eyes always seemed to change when he was having a negative mood. And negative indeed. Allen looked _pissed._

He was also covered in that white cloak and his claws were definitely a sight to behold but, right now, who cares. Rin was just hoping that those claws wouldn't be used on _him._

His best friend was certainly the scariest person he had ever met.

"Back to the others," Allen ordered sternly, his right eye falling back to their usual color.

"B-but, Nehaus," Rin exclaimed, looking around ony to find him nowhere.

" _Now._ "

Rin lowered his head and began to wander back to the door. He got to watch the cloak on Allen disappear into nothing though and his arm go back to normal so it wasn't a complete loss. Allen stalked off over to the switchboard and flicked the lights, allowing them to turn on. The path back to the others was in stern silence. After a while, Timcanpy came from who-knows-where and fluttered about and Allen's eye returned to normal, which left the white-headed teenager sighing in relief.

"Hey, Allen," Rin began hesitantly as they reached the door. Allen opened it and paused to look at the ravenette. "Could I say that I beat the ghoul?"

His eyes shifted quickly between colors once more and Rin heard rather than felt knuckles collide against his face and he went flying into the classroom before landing in an ungraceful heap. The ceiling lights seemed to spin.

"No," he had heard Allen say. "And this is your punishment for going off alone. Yukio had said that _Exorcists_ don't fight by themselves." He paused. "If you keep doing that, you will be the one to end up dead."

"What on..." Yukio began as Rin sat up. Then his eyes widened as Nehaus showed up beside his brother. He began to tell his brother that Nehaus was the one who sent those ghouls on them when he felt a foot plant itself on his back. _Who-?_

"Alright~" had come a familiar voice. "Thanks for your work, Pages"

"Mephisto," Rin exclaimed.

"Of course, there was a reason why I, the chairman, would allow the invasion of upper class demons." He snapped.

As if on cue, other Exorcist came from their hiding spots.

"These Doctor class sensei's will tend to everyone's wounds," Mephisto informed. Then he explained on how this was an Exorcist Authorization Exam.

* * *

Allen and Rin were the only one without IV's. It surprised the others, considering how much miasma Allen had been doused with. But he's a Noah, for crying outloud. Neah is certain that Noah's surpass even Satan because _they_ hone Dark Matter at it's purest. Allen could care less at the moment. He was still iffy at Rin and his comments, he was sure, made it well-known.

"Okumura," Konekomaru asked. "How did you beat your ghoul?"

"Oh, well..." Rin began.

"I stabbed it," Allen stated bluntly.

"Huh," went the others.

"That's too vague!" exclaimed Bon. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You two are the most mysterious out of all of us."

"I think Allen is more than me," Rin added helpfully.

* * *

Allen was surprised to see Yukio in the halls. He looked as though he were in a rush and stopped beside Allen and Timcanpy who, incidentally, was outside their room.

"What are you doing," the brunette asked.

"Patrolling," had come Allen's cheery response.

"Patrolling?"

"Yep~. I figured that since Mephisto's wards here only announce when a demon was entering, I would walk around and check for any human intruders. Sometimes the smallest things tend to slip his mind." Allen's smile had suddenly faltered and he narrowed his eyes, which startled Yukio at the sudden change. "I still must have a talk with him on how he handled that examination."

Yukio suspected that their encounter _might_ have to do more than talking.

"Anyways, what are you doing walking so quickly at this time of night?"

Cheery again. Yukio never noticed before now but Allen's mood tends to change rather quickly. Did he not notice it because he was never actually paying attention to the boy?

"I came to check on Rin. Have you seen anyone enter the building?"

"Hm." The white-headed male held his chin as he thought. "I believe so far, only you and Miss Moriya-" He cut off, his eyes narrowing. "Nehaus has just arrived."

Yukio looked curious. "How do you know that?"

"A seal of sorts. You knew he would be coming, didn't you? Is that why you asked me?"

"I'll inform you later." Yukio entered his room with Allen not too far behind him. He pulled the covers off his brother. "Help me carry Rin out."

Allen didn't need to help, Yukio realized, when the boy just grabbed Rin and flung him over his shoulders like he weighed nothing. The brunette felt himself gaping at Allen as he turned towards him.

"You're planning on confronting Nehaus, aren't you?"

"Yes. Please take care of my brother."

"Alright." Allen's silver-gray eyes stayed on his with seriousness. "If you happen to get into any trouble though, I'll also arrive to help you."

"There's no nee-"

"'No Exorcist can fight alone'," Allen quoted.

Yukio just gave him a long look. Satisfied with his words, Allen turned and left the room.

 _" **You probably shouldn't leave Moriyama by herself.** "_

"Hm..." Allen paused in the hallway, finally noticing something. "I wonder where Timcanpy went."

He continued on his way, coming across Sheimi in no time. He noticed the small golem flying by her side. "Ah, there you are Tim. Hello again, Miss Moriyama."

Sheimi's face turned slightly pink as she turned her head away and stuttered. "H-hello Walker-san. Wh-where's Yuki-chan?"

"Yukio is going to be busy for a moment. I hope that you don't mind mine and an unconscious Rin's company."

"N-not at all!"

Allen smiled politely at the girl as the pink in her face darkened. "Come on. Let's get into a different room so I may set Rin down. He's actually heavier than he looks. Oh, and we should also be quiet. _Very_ quiet."

Sheimi nodded and the two ducked into another room. Since there were no beds, Allen set Rin on the gound before taking a stand by the door. Sheimi watched Allen for a moment, noting in how the expression he had was serious, his silver-gray eyes hard. It made her think of soldiers in the history books she had read.

"Sh-Sheimi!" The girl's attention had been brought over back to the ravenette, finding his blue eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing here!? Don't tell me you're here to see me...?"

" _Shh._ " Sheimi held a finger to her lips. "Allen brought you in here. He said we should be quiet but..."

"Allen?"

A loud noise interrupted their conversation.

"Stay here," Allen said, giving them a stern look. "That's an order. Come on, Tim."

The white-headed male and his golem left the two alone, running down the hall. He shoved the door to the twin's bedroom open...

 _Empty._

 _" **Try the roof,** " _Neah offered. Allen nodded before heading to the staircase. The Exorcist threw open the door before pausing in his steps. His eye had just activated. And... what the _Hell_ is that thing!?

It looks a _lot_ like the demons he had fought the other day only bigger, fatter, and far less pleasant.

Rin shoved past Allen, unknowingly taking advantage of his comrade's surprised state. He leaped in the air in anger, throwing Kurikara at the demon before pulling his arm back to punch Nehaus. Then something exploded and the ravenette found himself on the ground, crying out when his face burned.

"Rin!" Allen called out. He grit his teeth. Dammit, he's suppose to be protecting the kid.

Activating his Innocence, Allen went streaking towards the large demon as Nehaus sneered at the half-demon. The large creature moved, scooping Rin up in his arms before Allen raked his claws pulled out his broadsword, leaping high into the air only to pierce the creature's skull with his blade. The creature vanished, leaving Rin to fall to the ground and returning Allen's eye to normal. Allen used his cloak to pull the boy towards him and caught him, ensuring that they both landed safely. Then he let Rin go, replacing his broadsword in exchange for his claws and pressed them against Nehaus' back. The Sword of Exorcism didn't harm humans. The same couldn't be said for these. Rin was also there placing the Kurikara blade beside the man's throat. But Allen knew the ravenette wouldn't have it in him to kill a person. He wasn't hardened by war like he was. And even then, Allen preferred to render them unconscious before killing people.

"I'll never forgive Satan and all of those who go by the name demon! I'll kill you... the White Demon too, even if I have to exchange it for my life!"

A hand escaped one of the strange markings on Nehaus' arm. Allen felt his eyes widen as it pierced Rin in his stomach.

"You worried?" Rin smirked at Nehaus as he began to close Kurikara. "Don't be, cause I'll fight as many times as it takes. As many times as you want. I'm begging ya... Don't get innocent bystanders involved!"

"...You really think this is over just like that?" Nehaus loosened up, seeming as though he was done for the day. Allen relaxed as well but still retained his guard. He was so _close_ to piercing this guy. But his next words made Allen freeze. "There's another guy... whose like me... You should prepare yourselves."

And just like that, he walked off towards the roof entrance.

"Brother, what were you think-" Yukio began. Allen didn't let him finish.

Because he punched Rin as hard as he could with his right hand. The ravenette went flying to the ground.

"A-Allen?"

The white-headed male ignored Yukio, instead, turning his silver-gray sights over to Rin. The male's irises flashed gold as Rin looked over at Allen incredulously. "What's the big deal!?"

"I _ordered_ you to stay in the room," Allen snapped, looking uncharacteristically livid. "I promised Shiro that I would _protect_ you. How am I suppose to do that when you go running off into danger!? Not only that, but you had left _Sheimi_ alone! What if Nehaus wanted to use her as a hostage!? First you go wandering off by yourself to take care of a demon and now this? Actions always have _consequences_ Rin! Some are far more dangerous than others!"

At least Rin had the audacity to look ashamed.

 _" **He looks like a kicked puppy,** " _his uncle chuckled. Allen pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Neah, now is _not_ the time."

Then Sheimi came up and, after yelling at Rin to lay down, began to cry as she tended to him.

* * *

"Everyone is promoted to Exwire!" Mephisto grinned brightly as celebration decoration filled the room. "Congradulations!"

The class cheered, save for Allen. He held a mathematics book in hand. "Now to celebrate everyone's promotion, I, the rich chairman, will treat you all to monja."

"Monja!" The class had groaned. A mathematics book went flying at Mephisto's head. One of which he barely dodged.

"You better pay for my meal," Allen had said darkly, cracking his knuckles. Rin felt chills move down his spine before glancing over at his friend to see where the dark aura of the room was coming from.

"B-Black Allen," the boy shrieked, taking cover behind Bon, who was terrified just as much as him. Even Mephisto looked rather uncomfortable by the evil presence Allen was emitting.

"Alright, alright," the chairman waved. And just like that, Black Allen was gone. "Now let's be on our way."

* * *

"I apologize for Neigauz-sensei's behavior. I never thought he'd act with his own personal interests at heart. I'll make sure he doesn't do it in the future." Silence spanned between Yukio and Mephisto while the class ate food a distance away. "That's not all you want to talk to me about today though, is it?"

"It's about Allen." Yukio adjusted his glasses. "Neigauz-sensi had called him the 'White Demon' an a couple of occasions. I checked the demonology records and found an image that looks a lot like the one he had when the two faced. Allen, is he...?"

"He's not a demon," Mephisto stated.

"But the White Demon has been said to be around for about a century. And not to mention that strange thing that materializes by his side sometimes when he thinks that we're not looking."

"That, I do not think is intentional." The chairman smiled. "Mr. Walker has been around for a while, I will admit that. But he's not a demon. I suppose you can say that he's something _more._ Just ask him directly. I doubt that he would answer all of your questions but he just might be able to give you some."

"You seem to know a lot about him." Yukio eyes his superior. "Are you two friends?"

"Goodness, no. Mr. Walker can't stand me." Mephisto smirked. "I suppose you can say that we help each other out sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"And other times, we try to kill each other~."

"...I'll leave you to it then."

Sheimi's voice could be heard calling Yukio. He began walking back. Allen was drumming the edge of the table with his fingers, his silver-gray eyes flicking over to Mephisto. The demon was talking on a cell phone with a smile on his lips. He couldn't even overhear their call.

"It should be done about now," went Rin. "Oooh, it should be good enough to eat!"

"Huh..." Mephisto went. Then, as if realizing what was said, the demon began to panic. "W-wait! Guys! The cheese and bacon mochi here is one of my top three favorites!"

"Is it?" Allen smiled pleasantly in the chairman's direction as he scooped a rather large portion of it up and dumped it on a plate. "What useful information. I hope you don't mind us eating it all."

Yukio sweatdropped as he watched the white-headed male get _another_ large scoop. Then he got a second plate and proceeded to put on some more. "Here, Tim. Food~."

"You truly are a demon," Mephisto exclaimed, tears streaming from his eyes.

* * *

In a forest far away in Poland, a figure leaned against the wall as he stared out at the night sky. A scowl was etched firmly on his face as his eyes glared out at the starts.

"Tch, they just won't let me die, will they?"

* * *

 ** _Omake: What did Allen do with the beetles?_**

Shima was _dead_ tired. The fight with the ghoul and then dealing with the aftermath was nearly too much for the pinkette tonight. And here, he thought cram school was going to be _easy._ All he wanted to do right now was get a nice and peaceful sleep. Bon and Konekomura were already fast asleep. Making his way though the darkness, the teenager slipped into his bed and let his eyes close.

Something crawled on his leg. No, not just on his leg. As the pinkette stiffened, he could feel _multiple_ things climbing on his body. He inhaled sharply as he thought that maybe, just maybe, he was being crawled on by spiders. It was an old building, after all. What if Shima had chosen a bed that housed thousands of spiders? And they were going to wrap him up in spider web until he could no longer breath.

Ah, darkness. It gave birth to horrific ideas. Shima threw the blankets off him and searched for his phone. Maybe he's just imagining it. For all he knew, his body was just releasing small tingles here and there just to check if he's _actually_ asleep. Surely, it was nothing.

Turning on his phone light, Shima would like to say that he looked down at his bed and released a manly scream. Really, he would. Bon and Konekomura woke up and a few seconds later, Yukio came bursting into the room with his guns blazing as he flicked on the light. Allen entered a second after and both paused to take in the scene. Then, as if to make matters worst, the _rest_ of the class came filing in worriedly.

Shima... was covered in stag beetles. Jesus, for a moment, he _really_ thought they they were horribly disfigured spiders.

He was teased by the group that entire night _and_ next day for his perfectly manly scream.

However, if you asked either Allen or Rin, the former would chuckle with amusement and the latter would start dying of laughter, talking about how that was the most feminine scream from a boy they've ever heard.

* * *

 _ **~YokaiAngle - Daw, you're gonna make me blush~. ^/^**_

 _ **~SnowyLuna - You have**_ **no _idea how happy I am to hear that. I originally didn't plan the omake but decided to put it in after writing because... well, the opportunity was there. I bet everyone else would have wondered where our favorite golem had gone to~._**

 ** _~Blitza - I'm glad!_**

 ** _~UnforgivingWolf - As a matter of fact, I do plan on implanting Cross somewhere into the story. Hehe, poor Allen~._**

 ** _~Nagisa Aachan - Because Allen is 100% certain that Cross Marian is a demon even though his biology says otherwise. Since Cross was a big part of Allen's life, he was worried that the man would appear as his summon and... y'know, be Cross. It's like how people are afraid of heights or some of the dark. It's irrational and sometimes not logical but the fear is still there._**

 ** _~ .927 - Well here's more!_**

 ** _~Loving Guest - That's endearing to hear you say that. Every time I submit a chapter, I'm always worried that I didn't do some stuff right (I do have some spelling errors that I occasionally find when I reread and try to fix). So to be told this really makes my day!_**

 ** _~Guest - Thank you for reading!_**

 ** _I do apologize for submitting this a week late. I just didn't feel like writing it so I didn't and focused on something else. Sorry!_**


	8. Çhąpţεr Vł

**Bold/ _Bold Italics_ \- Neah talking (Mainly) and Allen**

Underline/ _Underlined Italics_ \- English Dialect (Since, y'know, everyone will be speaking Japanese.)

 _Italics_ \- _Character(s) thoughts (Or Timcanpy. "Gaaah!")_

* * *

 _ **-Çhąpţεr Vł-**_

* * *

"Hey, Yukio."

Allen, Tim, and Rin had just gotten back from the store. The ravenette was worrying over a popsicle. The brunette lifted his head over to the white-headed teenager and adjusted his glasses. He still hasn't questioned the boy yet about all the oddities that surrounded him. In fact, he was just trying to come up with an idea on how he could even ask if they could _privately_ have a conversation without making Allen suspicious. He couldn't underestimate the other's intelligence. Yukio didn't like the feeling that he didn't _know_ the male. And he had a sneaking suspicion that his twin might not either.

"Yes?"

"You don't mind if I place the Rin Guard Duty on you, do I?" Allen smiled politely and tilted his head. "There's some stuff I want to do."

"You made it sound like it's a chore," the ravenette huffed, crossing his arms.

"Not at all." In fact, Yukio really _did_ mind. That meant that he couldn't tail Allen to his hearts content. "What will you be doing?"

"Oh, perhaps a walk into town. Maybe I'll stop by a boat and draw."

"You draw?" The twins looked at him incredulously.

"Not very well," Allen admitted. "I'm horrible at drawing images. Symbols, however..." He drifted off with a frown. He tossed a water bottle at Yukio. "Anyways, here's the mineral water you asked for. Rin forgot~." He chuckled when the ravenette shot him a withering look. "Well you did. I'll see the two of you soon."

He departed from them with a wave. Making his way down the hall, Allen took care to make sure the boys were not watching as he slipped inside his room. From there, both him and Tim entered the Ark Gate and proceeded to make their way through the beautiful white city. This was a really serene place.

Finding the Musician's room, Allen's gaze flicked over to the large mirror on the wall. The surface of it had deep spiderweb cracks moving across it. And in the center of the mirror, a reddish-brown seal made up of complex symbols was painted on it. Some were runes, others were the marking Mana had taught him. The mirror reflected his Noah form, even if Allen still was in human form. For now.

Sighing, the white-headed teen allowed the gray skin tone to overtake his paleness. As he was now a Noah, he had to make sure to keep his original appearance up. And as much as he hated looking like this, it was a relief to be rid of the small burden of having to subconsciously remember the image he's _use_ to look like.

 _" **The seal is starting to break faster,** " _Neah noted. Allen went and sat over at the piano. _" **If nothing tampers with it, I suspect that we might have another century until the true fight against the Earl's Memory begins.** "_

The white-headed male closed his golden eyes and breathed in slowly. Releasing a long breath, he reopened them and stared down at the white instrument with sadness prevalent on his face. Perhaps this would have been easier, if he had the other Noah by his side. But then all he would imagine were the bodies of his allies being destroyed by them. And the Noah that take their place weren't the same. They had their own ideas on how to do things. More often than not, they would murder innocents behind Allen's back. Any human whose Noah gene had activated, the male had made sure that they met their demise. Perferably in a way that prevented rebirth for dozens of years.

He was just thankful that it was Neah who offered to help with that task, since his nephew would have been riddled by the guilt of taking a living thing's life. Allen already faced that baggage daily. He would prefer that nothing else should be added to it.

Pulling off his gloves, Allen set them aside before holding his fingers above the keys as he sat in front of the piano. Here, he had nothing to fear. Here, he could let down his guard. This piano was as important to him as either Neah or Tim and, therefore, felt as though he didn't need to keep the skin of his left hand from touching the keys. With a soft, sad smile to himself, he began to play.

Beautiful, melodious notes filled the air. He was grateful for this ability to play the piano. This little gift, originally percieved as a curse, given to him by his uncle. It sounded to hypnotic and Allen immediately got lost in the music when his fingers played the first note. That familiar female voice began to sing, echoing throughout the entirety of the Ark. Knowing the song all too well, he did have a _century_ to learn it, the male began to sing along softly.

 _Heal the mirror,_ was the thought he had as the music kept playing. _Seal up all the cracks._

By the end of the song, Allen continued to sit on the bench. He didn't quite want to get up just yet. He liked this little place. It was like his own personal limbo. But alas, he didn't have the luxury. If he didn't get up and do something about that seal, those cracks will spread faster and the mirror would shatter. And if that were to happen...

He shuddered as he recalled the first time the Memory had tried taking him over. Agonizing headaches that felt as though his mind was splitting. The tortured screams and cries of people as they mourned for their loved ones, wishing desperately for their return. All the voices. All the pain.

It was no wonder that the last Earl was mad.

Allen picked up a small knife that was beside his gloves. Standing up, he walked over to the mirror. Grabbing the hilt with his left hand, Allen cut the palm of his right and allowed the blood to puddle in his palm. Then he began to turn his focus onto the seal, tracing the patterns with his blood.

Every two weeks, he had to come here to do the same thing. The mirror mostly had a small variety of cracks but the true limit of the seal could be placed up to four weeks. It's easy to lose track of the days and every time the seal weakens too much, his Noah begans to get restless. Like the day Allen couldn't save Shiro...

"There," Allen had said, the wound in his hand slowly closing up. He blinked tiredly at the mirror before heading over to the couch and slumped on it. He yawned.

 _" **You don't mind if I take over and stretch my legs, do you,** "_ Neah asked, sounding rather amused.

"Well..." Allen furrowed his brows. "It would be suspicious if I were gone all day just to go to a boat and draw."

 _" **Which you technically**_ **did.**

"Yeah. No, I don't mind. Someone needs to keep an eye on Tim. And guard Rin. Just don't go killing anybody."

 _" **Yes, yes, I know.** " _Neah sounded amused. _" **Go to sleep already.** "_

Allen nodded once before closing his eyes.

* * *

Neah left the Ark with Tim by his side. He could feel Allen in his head, _there_ but yet not. It was always a strange feeling when the two, in a way, switched roles. That being said, he did not mind it.

Humming the score contently to himself, Neah pulled Allen's bedroom door open and wandered out to the halls. He made a stop at the twin's room to check on them only to find it empty.

"Huh, I wonder where they've gone," he mused aloud. He continued back down the hall, speaking towards his golem. "I certainly hope that the black-headed kid isn't butting heads with someone, Tim."

* * *

 _Wham!_

Neah watched with his eyes slightly widened in surprise as a Cat Sith went crashing to the ground. He quite literally arrived when Rin slammed his skull against the demon's head.

"He was really butting heads," the Noah stated aloud, a faint note of incredulity in his voice. Even Yukio gaped like a fool at his twin.

 _" **That sounds like Rin,** " _Allen commented, sounding as though he was unsure whether to sound annoyed or amused.

"You loved my old man, right? So then... You were just sad, right? I'm the same as you." Rin held out his hand. "Let's resolve our differences."

The large cat then poofed and started wailing as it mourned.

A little later, Neah was sitting beside Rin in an Allen fashion. It was a little more stiff than Neah's own laidback posture.

"Hey, Allen," the ravenette greeted. "When did you get here?"

"Oh, when you headbutted a demon cat," Neah stated off-handedly. "That's the first I've seen anyone stupid enough to do something like that." He paused, as if in thought. His nephew had actually donbe that on _multiple_ occassions. "Make that a second."

 _" **Hey!**_

"Really?" Yukio appeared on the top of the steps. "Who else would do that?"

Neah smiled and didn't answer. Rin furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at Allen and then snapped his fingers.

"I thought something was different about you! You're hair is wavier!"

"..." The Noah stared at the halfling as if he grew a second head. Even Yukio looked surprised at the fact that his brother was paying attention. He didn't even notice. Neah eventually responded by giving them a closed-eyed smile and an awkward chuckle. "I went to go look at a boat and I fell into the water. I suppose my hair is still damp." And then, in a quieter tone, he mumbled. "You're too formal."

 _" **Oh, shush.** "_

Neah held his hand out to the Cat Sith. "Hello there."

The demon sniffed his hand suspiciously before it's eyes widened in fear. _"M-Master Noah!"_

Rin's brows knitted together. "Master No- _oof_!"

Neah definitely did _not_ elbow the ravenette in the ribs. _At. All._

The teenager paled under the glare the Noah had discreetly passed at him. One that promised a painful death if he said anything else about it. Yukio frowned at the immediate cut-off. The Noah's expression had gone unseen by him.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Neah suddenly smiled brightly at the creature. "I just want us to be friends. Surely you wouldn't mind."

The Cat Sith didn't seem as though he didn't trust Neah's words.

 _" **I can't blame him** ," _Allen stated.

Ouch. But that was probably a good response. Neah wouldn't trust himself either.

The demon _refused_ to approach him and instead, faced Yukio. The Noah felt his shoulders (or rather _Allen's_ shoulders) droop. He actually wanted to make an acquaintance with the creature. Oh, the burden of being an Earl. Demons either fear him and Allen or hate them. Ukobach took a while to warm up to either of them as well. He only began to speak with them when he saw Allen's huge appetite.

Lost in those simple memories, Neah pulled out of his thoughts when the Cat Sith took the container that read _Holy Water_ from Yukio's hand.

 _"It smells like Shiro's present,"_ the cat exclaimed.

"C-catnip wine," Yukio asked incredulously after opening the container and taking a sniff.

 _"Catnip! It's Shiro's catnip wine!"_

"What's with this taste," Rin demanded a few minutes later, a look of disgust on his face as he held a bottle cap. The Cat Sith was happily drinking from a bowl. Neah held the catnip wine himself, much to Allen's disgust. While the smell wasn't pleasant, he was wanting to try it. He brought the edge of the container to his lips-

 _" **No!** "_

The Noah jolted, some of the drink sloshing onto the asphalt as he held his head. Meanwhile, Allen was going on a rant.

 _"_ ** _Do_ not _drink that Neah. I swear, I'll make you regret it. You know the smell of alcohol makes me feel sick. I don't even wanna_ taste _it._** _"_

"Allen, are you alright," Yukio asked, effectively putting a pause in the white-headed male's rant. Neah gave the boy a smile.

"I'm fine. I had just gotten a bit of a headache. It's a shame that I can't try this." He held it up in the air. "Tim, would you like a sip?"

 _" **Just what I need,** "_ Allen stated dryly as the golem flew over and stuck his face inside the container. _"_ _ **A drunk Tim.** "_

* * *

Allen sat boredly on the fountain with the other guys. Neah had tried prompting Allen to let him stay in control of his body for another day. The male declined. Perhaps next time.

"I got to beat a demon," the ravenette boasted excitedly as the Exwires complained about their mission. They doubted the boy until Allen confirmed it.

"What did you get to do," Bon asked him.

"Hm?" Allen glanced at him. "Oh, I had some errands Mephisto wanted me to do." His face darkened. "Debts and whatnot."

"When did that happen?" Yukio inquired.

"Some time the other day. Besides falling into the water-" Neah snickered at the excuse he had provided. "Mephisto wanted me to help with a couple of tasks... I should have let him rot behind his paperwork."

The aura around Allen seemed to darken, making the group shiver. Then the girl's arrived, making Konekomura sigh in relief when the atmosphere suddenly becam elighter. After Rin informing Sheimi (with a blush) that her skirt was too short, Yukio tried getting back to business and seperated the teenager's into groups of two. "Miwa and Takara, Yamada and Suguro, Okumura and Moriyama, Kamiki and Shima." Dropping his paperwork by his side, Yukio pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Allen, you will be with me."

"With all due respect..." Allen frowned. "I promised Shiro that I would watch over Rin."

"I'm sure that he will be fine for a few hours."

"Are we talking about the same Rin here?"

" _Alleeeen,_ " the mentioned boy whined.

"Fine," the male sighed. "Please don't blow something up."

"Have a little faith in me!"

After being informed a little more about their target (a ghost) and what it's been doing, the group dispersed. Tsubaki went wandering who-knows-where, talking about calling a kitten. Or kitty. Yukio waited until they were alone.

"I suppose that we should start walking around," Allen stated, holding his hand to his chin. "It'd be faster if there were customers. We would have a higher chance at pinpointing the ghost but I suppose safety does take priority."

"Allen."

"Yes?"

"How old are you?"

Allen felt himself freeze in surprise. Did Yukio mean how old his _looked_ or how old he really _was_?

"I don't know when I was born," he mused aloud. "But I think I'd be about sixteen or seventeen."

"I'm talking about your _actual_ age."

Oh. "What makes you think that isn't my actual age?"

"Mephisto has practically said on multiple occasions that you are older than you seem," the brunette answered. "He told me that you have been around for a while. And regarding your first class, the chairman did state that you had more experiance than myself."

"Mephisto isn't the one to keep secrets if he finds something funny," the male grumbled, crossing his arms. "Yes, I'm older than I look. Roughly a century, if I'm accurate on time."

"And how is it that you are still alive?"

At this, Allen averted his gaze in order to stare at the asphalt under his feet. "...I'm a... It's a..." He scowled. "It's a curse. A different one than my eye, that prevents me from aging. I can still die, just like anyone else. It just takes more to kill me."

"And that black shape that likes to appear beside you?"

"Black... shape?" Allen was confused.

 _" **It might be me he's talking about,** " _Neah stated. _" **The Mashou that humans can recieve enable them to see demons. And demons can see me rather clearly. Perhaps humans just get a more unclear version of myself.** "_

"Huh..." Allen returned his attention to a curious-looking Yukio, who noticed that the male's attention had suddenly become divided. "That _might_ be my uncle."

"Y-your uncle?"

"Yes. You can say that we're two people inhabiting _my_ body." He crossed his arms. "Besides him trying to drink when he occasionally possess it, I don't mind him being there."

 _" **Just once. I only tried just**_ **once _to have a drink of alcohol._** _"_

Yukio stared at Allen. And stared. And stared.

"We should start looking for that ghost. If my eye hasn't activated, then this park is either too big for me to get the distance or it's too weak for me to sense."

"Wait!" Allen turned his attention back to the Exorcist and asked the question he rather disliked. "What are you?"

He was _so_ thankful when a large explosion prevented him from even coming up with a lie. Maybe, after all these years of crappy luck, things were finally turning around. Yukio and Allen shared a quick glance before both began to race towards the disaster.

"I'm going to go on ahead," Allen said, making the young Exorcist look over at him. "Crown Clown."

The male was encased with white that nearly blinded Yukio. He did manage to watch Allen take to the air with white ribbons leaving his cloak. The brunette watched after him as he disappeared over some rides.

Wait, did Allen just say...

 _Crown Clown?_

* * *

"Amaimon," Allen growled, his silver-gray eyes narrowing. There was no way he could shift into his Noah form with two of his classmates there with him. Innocence will be difficult enough to explain. At least Yamada wasn't really vocal. He was sort of glad that Timcanpy was M.I.A. at the moment. Having left him at the dorms, it was probably the best thing for the little golem today.

"Well if it isn't you," the demon said with some delight laced in his voice. "I've heard from my brother that you would be fun to play with, Mister Allen Walker."

"You must've learned how to mask yourself from my eye," Allen commented. "Did your brother teach you that too?"

"Yes... What would you say to a game, Walker? Right here, right now?"

Allen held up his left arm as he continued to glare at the demon. "If you want. But I should warn you, I have defeated your father twice in the past. And Yamada seems fairly capable at weilding a sword. So how bad do you wish to die today?"

Amaimon _hmmed_ to himself as he observed the two. "I just came to get rid of some boredom." He tossed a sheathed Kurikara in their direction. "Another time, perhaps."

And then Amaimon hopped away. Allen watched him go, dispelling his Innocence. He almost didn't notice Yamada yelling at Rin.

" _Don't touch me,_ " Rin yelled, making the ex-Exorcist snap his head over to the half-demon. He frowned as he noticed that it was Sheimi who had approached, the young girl holding a worried expression. At Rin's inquiries about a ghost, she smiled and what had just happened. That small action felt very much like...

 _Lenalee,_ Allen thought, looking away.

Yukio arrived on scene with Tsubaki on his heels. The snowy-haired male wondered where he had randomly arrived from.

"Brother, what happened," Yukio exclaimed.

"Yer slow, Yukio," Yamada had said. "'Cause yer so slow, I was forced to make my move."

"Who..." went Rin.

"Well, whatever." Yamada began pulling off the hoodie. "I've gotten tired of lookin' like this." It seemed that Yamada was not a boy but instead a woman with faded red hair with blond tips, looking very much like a flame. Her green eyes settled on Yukio and she wore, much to Allen's horror, a bikini top with a pair of pants and some marking on her chest and stomach. As a person born at the end of the 18th century, this was very _inappropriate._ "I'm Shura Kirigakure, an upper first class Exorcist."

And she _smiled._ Yama- _Shura_ absolutely smiled like this was okay. Allen did _not_ find this _okay._

 _" **...Where's the rest of her clothes,** "_ Neah had asked, just as appalled. Kids these days...

"I was dispatched by the True Cross Vatican Headquarters to investigate the existence of the Japanese branch's 'risk factor'. I'm a senior inspector."

* * *

The class was dismissed after that little charade, much to the chagrin of the other students. Allen was told to stay behind and accompany them by Shura, to which he complied to with minor annoyance. Rin, it seems, was going to be forced to go with them.

"This place is the center of the Order of the True Cross," Shura informed them as they walked. Her arm was thrown around Rin's neck, essentionally forcing the ravenette into her breast. It was...unpleasant to watch, actually. So Allen looked away to leave Rin be. "The Japanese branch's base is hidden below True Cross Academy... The Vatican Headquarters are under St. Peter's cathedral. Officially, we don't exist. We're just an international organization with branches all around the world."

"Like the Black Order," Allen murmured.

"You can say that True Cross sort of copied the idea," the woman nodded, making the white-haired male nearly flinch when she spoke. He didn't realize that he had said that aloud. "They were a seperate organization with similar goals but twice more antisocial. So when it all went crumbling to ashes about a hundred years ago, it was too late for True Cross to lift even a finger to help. The Black Order had about five thousand years of a headstart on us. It's a shame all the strong weapons and files they had ended up destroyed. But since they've been so reclusive, True Cross has soley beem carrying the burden of exterminating monsters all over the world for about a hundred years now. It's been around for about two thousand yeasrs though."

"So what do you think, Mr. Walker," Mephisto asked, grinning as he stood on the bridge. "Does it feel like home?"

"...It's a little more colorful than I would like," Allen responded flatly, his irises flicking around the interior of the large structure. He preferred the _old_ Black Order. The one that looked like a creepy tower.

"Yes, I suppose that dark and depressing would suit you. Hello, Shura. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Allen rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as Mephisto went about ignoring him. It was probably for the best, considering how tempted Allen was to stab him with his sword at the moment.

"We've been fighting a defensive war," the chairman reasoned. "With Okumura and Walker in out hands, we now have a chance to take the battle to the front lines."

"I'm _not_ your soldier," Allen stated rather icily. Only Mephisto and Shura didn't shiver at the sudden coldness he emitted. Shura just barely.

"But you _are_ now a True Cross Exorcist, Mr. Walker. Therefore, you're now a part of this."

And then the cold aura was gone as the former Exorcist lowered his head to glare at the ground. His hands clenched into fists as he recalled all the battles he had fought before during the Holy War.

 _I'd rather not be._

* * *

Yukio glanced at the white-headed... Well, he supposed that he couldn't call Allen a _teenager_ now could he? The male was surprisingly silent after they left HQ. The only thing he did was promise Shura a painful death if she killed Rin (which was somewhat out of character of him). And Yukio wasn't certain but he _thinks_ Allen's eyes flashed gold.

"Crown Clown," Yukio had finally said after a while. Seeming to snap out of whatever dark thoughts accompanied Allen, the male turned towards the brunette.

"What?"

"That's what you said earlier. 'Crown Clown', right? If I'm not mistaken, that's the name of the weapon that had belonged to the only Exorcist that survived the Holy War. That's you, isn't it?"

Allen stopped in his steps. After a second, Yukio had done the same. The snowy-haired male sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "...Yes."

"And what is that weapon of yours? I've never seen anything like it."

"If I tell you what it is, you _cannot_ inform the Vatican." Allen's gray stare pierced into the brunette, making the teenager sweat under the stern intensity. "Do you understand? If they so much as _know_ that it exists, there will be much suffering. And I'm not saying that it will come from demons or myself but from within True Cross itself."

Yukio nodded slowly, wondering just what it was that Allen would make it seem like a bad thing.

"Innocence."

"Huh?" Yukio wasn't sure he heard right. Did Allen just say...?

"It's called Innocence. Other people would call it God's Crystal."

God's... Crystal? He had heard of _that_ before. He thought it was a myth. Something Exorcists wished for because their job was too difficult. It was suppose to be a holy substance that _no_ demon is resistant to. Their ultimate weakness. But going by Allen's expression and words, it wasn't a myth.

If it's real then something like that... It could give them an edge!

"We must inform the Vatican," Yukio stated, about to head back into HQ. But then Allen grabbed him by the shoulder. _Hard._ "Allen!"

"You can't!"

"We can save the lives of so many of our own," the brunette shot back.

"You don't even know the extent of what Innocence can do! You'll be ending more lives than you'll be saving!"

There was dead silence that followed Allen's words. Yukio wasn't even sure he heard right. "What... do you mean?"

The male suddenly slumped, like someone who had seen way too much and was tired. As if to emphasis this, he leaned against a wall.

"The Vatican had tried studying Innocence," he finally said. Yukio could tell that he meant a different Vatican than his own. "You can't just give it to some random person and expect it to work. Innocence binds to a person. It _chooses_ them. And if someone who wasn't chosen tries to synchronise with it... They Fall."

"...Fall?" That did not sound good.

"When you betray your Innocence or try to use it when it's not yours, you become a Fallen One. A mindless being that causes destruction. Nearly every case of it has ended with the Fallen One's self-destruction." Allen closed his eyes. "I tried to save a man before. And when I finally separated him from the monster the Innocence had him become, he was left brain-dead. An entire village was decimated. The mountains were leveled. A comrade and I barely managed to save a little girl." He paused for a moment. It seemed as though he was reminiscing about something he didn't particularly like. "My Vatican continued with these tests and had a different experiment lined up right beside it. They attempted to resurrect the Exorcists who had been killed in the line of duty. Most of them became Fallen Ones as well and the two who did not... I hope it's not surprising when I say that this little experiment had backfired."

Yukio stayed silent. In truth, he didn't know _what_ to say. To see all these things. Yes, Yukio had watched Exorcists die but this... This was on a level of messed-up that he didn't even want to think about.

"Your Vatican doesn't know anything about Innocence. If they find it, they'll test it as much as possible. And when they test it, more people will Fall. Not many can become an Accomadator. It's rare. And most of the Innocence is now gone." Allen reopened his eyes and stared at Yukio. "That's a hell I don't want to revisit."

They continued the walk in silence, one thinking about what he just heard and the other one wrapped entirely up in memories.

After reaching the dorms, Allen had locked himself in his bedroom muttering something about a piano. Yukio however, would be thinking about what he said for the longest time, imagining the events the male had mentioned. Allen Walker, the normally polite, smiling, innocent-looking teenager was really a tired, battle-worn veteran who had seen far too much horror. And Yukio was certain that these little scenerios were just the tip of the iceberg.

Just what life has Allen experianced?

* * *

 _ **Like my other chapters every time I first dish them out, this isn't proof-read. ._. Every time. Remember that seal I had Allen mention in the second(?) chapter? I wanted to put more emphasis on it since, knowing me, I'll conveniantly forget about it until an actual crucial moment pops up. I have that crucial moment permanently jotted down so it can't escape me.**_

 ** _~Neah-D-Campbell1 - I had planned on doing that (I mean, how could I put Neah in and NOT let him have control). I was going to insert the body-swapping later but since I didn't know how to start this chapter and your comment kept playing in my head, I figured that this would be the perfect chance :D So thanks! Don't worry, the twins will see more of Neah later. And this time, they might actually get to_ know _that it is him._**

 ** _~YokaiAngel and Gwntan12 - Thank you very much~. And as for that answer, I'm sure everyone knows it. However, I'm going to leave whatever small doubt you guys have fester just in case it isn't Kanda~._**

 ** _~MillenniaPhoenix - Thank you for sticking with it!_**

 ** _~Ryuakilover - Yukio has about 90% of it covered, I'd guess. But there's still a ton he doesn't know. Including the fact that Allen has conjured a couple of powerful enemies over the last century._**

 ** _~SnowyLuna - Lol, I try to answer all my readers. It's your comments that encourage me to write more. It makes me happy. I actually almost cried when I was able to sit down and check out the comments everyone had placed on this chapter. Thank you so much and you're welcome!_**

 ** _~UnforgivingWolf and olivia-rodriguez-927 - Patience~. And Olivia, I'm going to put these dashes "-" in between your name since FF doesn't like periods too much._**

 ** _ALSO: I do have a D'Gray-Man and Harry Potter Crossover I'm working on behind the scenes. I won't be posting that though until all or most of it is complete._**


	9. Çhąpţεr Vłł

**Bold/ _Bold Italics_ \- Neah talking (Mainly)**

Underline/ _Underlined Italics_ \- English Dialect (Since, y'know, everyone will be speaking Japanese.)

 _Italics_ \- _Character(s) thoughts (Or Timcanpy. "Gaaah!")_

* * *

 _ **-Çhąpţεr Vł**_ _ **ł-**_

* * *

"Where do you think Allen goes," Rin asked one day. Yukio looked up from his work, most of it being just him grading the markings of the students. This is one of the times he envied Allen, who didn't have papers to grade for his classes.

"I don't know," the brunette responded, making a mark on Takara's paper. _Probably whatever immortals leave to go do._

Sometimes he'll leave Rin with his brother and go disappear for the afternoon.

"Does Mephisto even give him an allowence like he does us," the ravenette inquired. His twin paused, becoming curious himself.

"I don't know."

"Wanna go find out how he spends his time?"

Yukio was going to decline. Really, he was. And then he was going to make sure that Rin stayed as well. But what did a century-year old person do in their spare time?

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the sunlight reflecting off his lenses.

"...Very well."

The next day, Rin and Yukio followed Allen carefully. The male seemed oblivious to their presence, chatting to the golem by his side.

"He really does let Tim go out in public everywhere," Rin stated as a bead of sweat gathered on his forehead. "I thought that was just at school."

"And Timcanpy isn't even a demon," the brunette muttered. His older twin glanced at him incredulously. "What? You never noticed? Everyone in the High School can see him. Tim's a huge hit with the female populace-"

"Seriously?" Rin shuddered. "All I can imagine is Tim smiling..."

"He went in there," Yukio stated rather suddenly, snapping Rin from his thoughts. They hurried after Allen, who disappeared inside a building. Stopping outside, the two looked up and sweated.

This was a bar.

"Let's go," Rin said, pulling his brother in before he could say anything.

It wasn't too crowded and Allen was rather easy to find. After all, he was his own neon sign. The male was sitting idly at a table seeming to hold something in his hands. As the twins approached, careful to stay out of sight, they noticed that Allen held a deck of cards.

"Cards, anyone," he asked, catching the attention of more than a few people.

Several rounds later and both Yukio and Rin were staring at Allen with a gaping maw. The snowy-haired male had completely wiped the men out of their earnings. _With a smile_. The men grumbled but accepted it as Allen slid out of his seat. He paused when he saw the twins.

 _So this is what an immortal does,_ was Yukio's thought. To think that Allen...gambled.

"Oh, hello you guys. Shouldn't the two of you not even be in here?"

"Neither should you!" Rin had exclaimed. "You're the same age as us!"

If only he knew...

Allen however, gave Rin a closed-eyed smile as he didn't bother to correct anything on the subject. "Yes, that being said, we should probably leave before the manager comes. Sukiyaki will be on me."

"Sukiyaki," the teenager exclaimed, pumping a fist. Yukio smiled softly at the exchange. They left the bar and went walking around town. Timcanpy landed on Allen's head, probably tired of flying around. "Say, Allen. Aren't you hot wearing all that stuff?"

"Hm?" The male tilted his head slightly as he stared at Rin. He was wearing a beige jacket with a black vest and a white-long sleeve with a ribbon tie. He was also wearing black pants and combat boots. While it could fit in with modern times, Yukio was surprised that he didn't note the strange old era feel it had with it. Like a gentleman.

Maybe he was just noticing because he actually _knew_ that Allen was older than he seemed.

 _I'm going to keep comparing him to the 20th century subconsciously,_ Yukio thought with annoyance, hiding it perfectly by shifting his glasses.

"I guess that you can say that I'm use to it," Allen added.

"Yeah but you wear long sleeves when you're training the class. Hell, even when you're training _me_."

"Maybe if you give me more of a challenge, I'll put on my training outfit."

Allen's tone was light-hearted, if a bit teasing. Rin of course, got rather hotheaded.

"Maybe if you let me use Kurikara, I would have a shot!"

"Certainly," the male agreed, to which Rin blinked in surprise at. "Then I'll go empty-handed."

Yukio finally spoke up. "Allen, do you think that'll be alright? What if you get... hurt..."

He stopped speaking when Allen's face became more...sinister. Ah, there was Black Allen again. It was very disturbing.

"Don't worry about me." Yukio couldn't help but gulp. "I will be _perfectly_ fine."

"U-uh, I think we're here," Rin finally said aloud, breaking the dark atmosphere. Black Allen disappeared in a flash, leaving Allen to look up at the sign. The twins were relieved.

"I guess we are," he finally said.

"I thought you couldn't read Japanese," Yukio spoke.

"I can't but I recognize this sign. And can you not smell the yakiniku?" Allen's eyes lit up like a child. But no, Yukio couldn't smell it. " _And_ they have mitirashi dango here!"

Before either of the twins could say anything, the male headed inside. Rin and Yukio glanced at each other, the latter shrugging, before they followed him in Now they could smell yakiniku.

Allen had already found them a booth. Tim sat on the table as the male folded his hands on the table. As the twins sat down, a waitress wandered over and handed them their menus.

"I already know what I'm going to order," Rin said with excitement.

"At least be considerate and look at the menu," Yukio scolded as he opened his. "What if there's something else you want?"

"Oh... Right."

Allen chucked at their antics as he placed his hands on the menu that he had yet to order.

"The same as usual, Allen," the waitress asked. Both twins perked their ears. The same as usual!? She even called him _by name_!

"Yes, please."

The waitress smiled brightly at him and scribbled something down.

"Ooo, I want some sukiyaki and pepsi!"

Yukio sighs. "I'll take some sukiyaki and root beer."

The woman nodded and took the menus before walking away. She seemed to have a little skip in her step as though she had gotten a favorite customer.

"I'm guessing that you come by often," the brunette Exorcist asked, watching the woman go.

"From time to time. When Ukobach needs to get more ingrediants, I usually end up here."

"And gamble too, it seems."

"That? It was just a card game to pay some of my Master's debts."

Yukio recalled Allen having mentioned a master before. _Many_ times, actually. Some of his sentences always seem to link back towards this unknown teacher of his. And each time, Allen would shiver somewhat, as if holding unpleasant memories. How could he still be paying debts from the past hundred years?

"How much debt was your Master even in?"

There it was, that shiver. This time accompanied by a shadow of despair that seemed to chill the very air with depression. "Too much... Still too much..."

Neither of the Okumura brothers said anything. In fact, they just watched as Allen seemed to mourn over that fact. _Still_ too much? How much debt did someone have to accumulate for it to be a hundred years and it still had been paid?

Needless to say, Allen was glad when his food came. And he ordered even more so he could try forgetting the whole ordeal.

* * *

Rin was glad for summer break. There would be no exams, no classes. Even Konekomura asked if Rin would join them for the closing ceremony.

"Can Allen come," He asked, surprising not only the white-headed male but everyone else.

Allen will admit that he wasn't exactly on a friend level with the rest of his classmates/students. If they asked him something in class, he responded as politely as possible. If it was him teaching, his tone was more stern. Other than that, he tended to not interact at all. The same would have been for Rin if the boy didn't turn to talk to him about everything. They were so use to Allen following him around like a shadow that they hadn't even thought to ask.

"It's fine," the white-headed male said, raising his hands with a closed-eyed smile on. "You should hang out with your friends, Rin. I'll have Timcanpy."

The small golem fluttered his little wings from where he perched which, of course, was on Allen.

"B-but they're your friends too, aren't they?"

Allen shook his head. His gaze flickered to Rin's wrist. If someone looked very closely, the edges of the red ribbon the male had given him was still tied there. He smiled softly as he returned his gaze to the teenager's face. "I haven't interacted enough with them to gain the title as their friends. I would just be intruding." Suddenly, his smile grew a little more darker. And his voice, although calm, had an edge to it. "Just don't go causing any fights or explosions. Or you'll leave our next training session with more injuries than your last punishment."

Rin turned white as a sheet as he recalled what happened after the whole deal with Shura.

 _ ****Flashback****_

 _"Hey, Rin~." The ravenette looked over at Allen as the male adjusted the cuffs to his long-sleeve. His tone was light and he had a smile on. In fact, he looked rather happy. But something told Rin that he wasn't. "You're better at brawls than you are at swords, right?"_

 _"Uh...yeah?" His uncertainty made it a question. "Why do you ask?"_

 _"Good. Good." The male nodded in response, momentarily casting aside the question. "Then how about today, we'll train on that."_

 _"O...kay..."_

 _"Get ready," Allen had said, his body tensing. Rin was still hesitant as he raised his arms. "Go."_

 _The ravenette barely took a step before he found himself flying into a wall. He heard himself crash into it long before he stilled. Then the pain came rushing at him at full force._

 _"Ngh," Rin pushed himself up to his feet. He didn't even see Allen move. And yet there he was, standing a little more closer. "What the hell was that for!?"_

 _Allen tilted his head slightly._

 _Cracked his knuckles._

 _And smiled pleasantly, all at the same time._

 _"Do you remember how I said to_ not _blow things up at the park," he asked._

 _Rin nodded._

 _"And yet the rollercoaster ride_ mysteriously _ended up ruined beyond use."_

 _"Uh... That wasn't entirely my fault..."_

 _"But you were there. You were a part of it. Now get ready, Rin. Because we still have more training to do~."_

 _Rin gulped._

 ** _**End Flashback**_**

Yeah, that was not a fun experience. Just that alone made his sprain his shoulder, his ankle, his leg... If he wasn't a half-demon, he was certain that he would be a little out of commission. Rin couldn't even dodge any of the punches Allen had pulled, much less hit the teenager with one of his own.

"Y-yes sir," he managed to stammer out, astounding his classmates. Everyone was aware that he wasn't one to use polite words like that.

"Everyone, from today onwards, the summer break is going to be so much fun," Yukio had announced. Both he and Shura stood beside what Allen thinks is a railcar. All these strange vehicles and their strange names really made him wistful for a good, old-fashioned carriage ride. Yukio went ahead and told them that it was a camping exercise, the half talking about getting stronger while the second half was about combat. That's a very interesting way of doing it. It's definitely better than having Exorcists thrown out into the world to go fight without checking to make sure that they _could_.

* * *

They ended up walking through the forest on a rather hot day. Everyone had large backpacks full of the supplies they'd need but it seemed like it was only Rin who was into this.

"Look, a waterfall," he exclaimed. "Can we drink from it!?"

"That's probably not a good idea," Allen responded with a smile. Unlike the others, he had discarded his uniform for some normal clothes. It was summer after all. The other students were wondering how both him and Yukio seemed so adversed to the heat. Even Timcanpy himself seemed unaffected but that wasn't surprising since the class didn't know what the hell he was. "It might still contain some parasites. You should boil the water first."

"Oooh." Then Rin made a face. "Ew, parasites?"

Allen nodded and the students continued their trek. He was at the back of the class so they had to pause to look at him when he spoke. They happened to pass by a rather large trantula on the way. Allen stared at it before a sharp-toothed grin appeared on his face.

 _" **And Black Allen strikes again,** "_ Neah stated.

A few more minutes later and they finally reached a clear space inside the trees. That's when Yukio took off his trench coat and began telling them where to put the tents.

"I thought he was superhuman," Shima commented. Then he glanced over at Allen. "You're still wearing that jacket!?"

"Well, yes." The white-headed male raised an eyebrow. "Am I not suppose to?"

"It's, like, ninety degrees out! How the hell are you not burning up!?"

"Just ninety degrees?" Shima's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when Allen held his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose it's because I'm use to it."

How the _hell_ could anyone be use to _that_?

"Allen, go put up your tent," Yukio had ordered, cutting into their conversation.

"Yeah, about that..." He had a sheepish smile. "I didn't bring one." At Yukio's look, he waved his hands. "I didn't forget it or anything. It's just...I've never used a tent before. I usually either rent a room at an inn or sleep under the stars."

"What did you bring then?"

"Some normal clothes, some training clothes, Timcanpy's polishing kit... The necessities."

Tim, who had taken to the air sometime during their walk, nodded in agreement.

" _That's why I said don't hit it!_ " Bon could be heard yelling. Both Allen and Yukio released a sigh as they faced the group Rin was stuck with. The tent they had managed to set up collapsed.

"Okumura," the brunette scolded. Allen lightly laughed.

* * *

Dinner was peaceful. Everyone really liked Rin's food. Allen got the leftovers, of course, since they had to bring extra for his appetite. As they sat down eating, sometimes a peaceful silence would ring out.

"Walker," went Bon, deriving Allen's attention from the delicious food. The male nearly had his fork in his mouth when he looked over. Tim had gobbled it up in seconds. "Where are you from? You're obviously not Japanese."

That grabbed everyone's attention. True, while Allen could speak Japanese nearly flawlessly, he didn't look Asian. Yukio quietly berated himself for never thinking to ask that question before.

"England."

There was another span of silence before Kimiki scoffed. "I guess that explains your politeness."

 _" **Stereotypes...** "_

"You're a bit far form home," Shima commented. "Is your family fine with that?"

Yukio and Rin tensed. Even Allen looked caught off-guard at the sudden question. Yukio was certain that his family must be dead. And that it still hurts him. The air around them turned somber as Allen dropped his gaze to his food. Even Tim tried to console his master by landing on his head.

"This concludes dinner," the brunette said, rising to his feet. Allen looked thankful about the intervention. "Now, I'll start explaining the training content."

* * *

 _" **I'm not sure this is a good idea,** "_ Neah commented as Allen walked through the woods in the dark with his ghostly uncle. Tim flied right cbeside his master .

"I know," he groaned. "My sense of direction will just get us lost."

 _" **That... And the fact that we need to replace the seal.** "_

"So soon?"

 _" **Allen, it's been about three weeks since we last did it.** "_

The male stopped abruptly in his steps.

"Three weeks... Are you sure?"

 _" **I said 'about'. But yes.** "_

"It can't have been three weeks already."

 _" **You know the saying: Time flies when you're having fun.** "_

Yukio had set the group on their way to go and retrieve some lanterns. There were three laterns and those who brought them back could participate in combat missions. The class thought that it's be simple to go ahead and grab them but that didn't seem right. Why would a lantern have to be lit up with a flare?

"I guess I'll just summon the Ark then and go fix it," Allen pouted, holding his hand in front of him.

 _" **...Wait.** "_

"Wait? Wait for what?"

 _" **Until dawn to use the Ark. It's as dark as the last Earl's heart out here. With the light of the Ark, any one of those kids could come look. Do you want to explain how you suddenly appeared walking out of a bright light?** "_

"..." Allen frowned. "No, not particularly."

And so, returning to silence, Allen kept walking.

Until a female scream tore through the rather peaceful silence.

" _Sheimi!_ " yelled another voice. Allen and Neah glanced at each other before the latter dispersed and the former started sprinting through the trees. _"Sheimi, what's wrong!?_ "

That sounded like Rin.

Allen followed his frantic shouts as quickly as he could, utilizing his superhuman speed. As he reached an opening in the trees where he caught a glimpse of the ravenette, a blue light suddenly blinded him. Grunting, Allen sheilded his face as he thought of what it could be. Those had to of been Rin's flames.

" _Rin,_ " Allen hissed as he was suddenly able to see again, the light dimming until the flames were no longer present. The ravenette whipped his head over. "What if someone saw?"

"A-Allen," he stammered. "I wasn't- I didn't mean to-"

"You guys," another voice said. Allen tensed for a battle when he brought his gaze over to a stripe-haired teenager. "What was that just now?"

Allen's mind spurned for a lie to tell that would save Rin's hide.

"Is Moriyama okay," Bon inquired.

"Pro-probably." The ravenette looked down at Sheimi. Allen moved over to check on her. "For the moment anyway. Her head's bleeding though."

"I'll wrap it," was Allen's response as he dug through his bag. Since Yukio had prepared it, besides Allen throwing in his stuff, it should have bandages. Ah, there it was. As he tended to her head, Bon was telling Rin to turn off his light due to how the moths were attracted to it.

"So anyways, what was that blue light just now?" Rin stiffened. "'Cause it was so dark and the light shined so suddenly, I was practically blinded. I could hardly see what it was."

"That was my doing," Allen had spoken up. He was glad he did because Rin seemed as though he was going to give a pretty half-assed excuse. "There were a bunch of small demons attacking Rin and Miss Moriyama when I arrived so I used this talismen I had to get them away. The light of it is so white that I guess it can come off as blue sometimes."

 _" **You're looking at the CROW's magic seals to lie with, aren't you?** "_

He didn't need to respond, for his uncle already knew the answer. Bon himself didn't look convinced while Rin gaped at him with awe. Seeing as there was no other information available, he had no choice but to accept Allen's lie.

Sheimi then woke up, much to their relief. She panicked for her demon for a bit then, when Rin asked her what happened, she said that she blacked out. But not before catching sight of a giant moth. Then something moved through the trees, catching everyone's attention.

"Get down," Rin hissed, pulling Sheimi with him. Something came out of the trees with a leap, a weapon in hand aiming for Rin's face. The ravenette was a little too slow to bring up his own wooden sword.

Allen moved on the way, raising his left arm to have the weapon hit his skin. He barely caught sight of a surprised-looking Shima before Allen forced the pinkette away. From there, he landed on the ground.

"Huh? What's everyone doing here," he asked.

"The same goes for you," Bon hissed. "And turn off your light."

"I wass surrounded by moths. And after that..."

"Oh, that's right. You hate bugs."

 _Is that so?_ Allen fought off a smile. _Wait until he sees his little surprise._

"By the way Walker, I'm sorry for hitting you so hard." The pinkette laughed nervously. "Is your arm alright?"

"Hm? It's fine." He smiled at the teenager. "Don't worry about it."

Then both of their phones rang. Bon pulled his out and looked at it. "It's from Konekomaru."

* * *

"Bon?" Konekomaru looked relieved when he saw his friends. "Shima! You brought Okumura, Moriyama, and Walker too! Thank goodness, its over here."

Timcanpy looked a little put out at not having his name called. Allen chuckled as he let the golem land in his hair. "It's okay, Tim. It's okay."

He frowned lightly as his curse finally activated. It's been about... twenty minutes since they entered the forest. It must be that the quantity of lower demons have finally become problematic enough for their collective matter to force it to react. No, not only that. There's something big skirting the edges of his curse's vision.

"It's _huge,_ " Rin exclaimed, taking away the male's focus. He looked over to see what the others were doing and sweated. "This is a lantern!?"

It was a giant stone lantern that sat on some steps. Bon went on explaining how it was a peg lantern and apparantly liked to eat anything living when lit. Using a demon to pass a test and become an Exorcist... True Cross really are hypocrites.

 _That makes sense now..._ Yukio always kept telling them how they had to work together as a group. And the flare was meant for such a large thing.

"I thought of a formation the six of us could do," Konekomaru had said, holding up a hand.

Shima and Konekomaru ended up on the sides of the cart they were to use for the lantern's transportation, Bon was in the back for prayer recital, Sheimi was in the cart with the lantern to feed it, and both Allen and Rin were at the front of the cart for pulling.

"Is Allen even strong enough," Shima asked, looking a bit dubious at the white-headed male's position.

"...Definitely," answered Rin, who was turning pale at the memories. Allen furrowed his brows. Did he scare the ravenette that much during training? Shima then shrugged and let it go on.

"By the way, Allen." Konekomaru looked up at him from behind his huge glasses. "I just realized that your curse activated. Does that mean that you can see the demons?"

"Yes. My eye can detect their position. I'm sure we can make it past them rather easy if we go through their weakest paths." He frowned. "But there's something strong at the edges of my vision. I can't see it clearly because it keeps moving in and out of range... Wait, it just disappeared."

"That's good, right?"

"For now. Come on, let's get going." Allen lifted the front where he was to pull the carraige with relatively ease. "Rin?"

"Y-yeah!"

The two pulled the cart through the trees without a problem. Even Shima was asking what planet they had come from. The only thing that made them stop... Was a rickedy old bridge. Bon pointed out that the seal on the top showed that it was sealing _something_ away.

After devising a plan to get across the bridge, Allen was having a really hard time not giving the pinkette a withering look. As it turns out, Shima was utterly useless when it came to bugs. How the hell he slipped stag beetles into the twins beds, it was really hard to tell. So yes, Allen was sure that this boy deserved his surprise later because now _he_ had to carry the cart. And poor Rin cried out when Sheimi nearly dug her fingers into his eyes.

 _" **Ouch...** "_

Yep. A definite ouch.

He set the cart down on the other side with no problem. Then when Rin was about halfway across the bug swamp, they set the lantern free. The ravenette had to hightail it out of there but they got the lantern back into the cart no problem. The only problem was...

Rin.

The teenager had snapped the rope that held all those seal. As soon as it broke, a powerful demon spiked in Allen's vision.

"Rin," he yelled, just as a giant moth busted from the swamp.

"I'll be fine," Rin had said, the look of horror on his face becoming a smile. "I'll catch up as soon as I've defeated it! You guys go on ahead!"

Allen cracked his knuckles, giving Rin a really pleasant smile with a tick mark on his face. He wasn't stupid, he knew that Rin was going to try using his flames. But that idiot first needed to learn how to get on _without_ them.

"You wait till we get out of this, Okumura," he said happily. Rin paled. Allen hadn't called him by his last name since he first arrived at the monastery.

Suddenly, being held against his will by a gigantic moth demon seemed far more preferable.

After Bon threw Shima's staff at the demon and chanted some words, the demon went flying back and let Rin go. Allen pulled him to his feet, his pleasant smile still on his face. "Now you get over to that cart and run like I'm about to kill you. Because I just might~."

If Rin was pale before, he was white as a sheet now.

"Yes s-sir," he stuttered, hurrying over to the front of the cart where both he and Allen grabbed. Then they started to move as fast as they could go with that moth on their tail. After the heat was over, Bon and the others started telling Rin not to do things by himself. That he has friends. The look on Rin's face told Allen that it mattered a _lot_ to him.

Even though he was still irritated at him, Allen smiled.

* * *

Shura's barrier had cut off Amaimon's attack for now, leaving the rest of the class safe inside. For now. His hair was sopping wet from the holy water and Tim, who was stationed there, also recieved his dosage. All-in-all, the golem was not pleased and poor Allen was trying to dry his little wings.

"Moriyama!?"

Pulled from his activities, Allen looked up to see Sheimi slipping past the barrier. She was walking to the woods as if she had a purpose. Amaimon then dropped down and held her close.

"I had a female chuchi lay her eggs inside of her. Although it took a while for incubation until they were parasitically living on her nervous system. Right now, this girl will only obey my commands."

Rin was about to follow when Amaimon's Behemoth got in his way. There was Shura there, slashing in front of the beast to prevent Rin from dying. She threw him his sword. "Go! I'll catch up later!"

"Allen," Rin called, motioning to the trees. "Let's go."

The white-headed male nodded and, with a "Tim, stay," followed the teenager through the trees.

* * *

As Rin went flying back, Allen grit his teeth and summoned Crown Clown. One of the tethers held Amaimon's wrist to prevent her from taking one of her he used that as his anchor to go flying at the demon, planting his combat boot firmly on Amaimon's torso. At the same time, his arms also wrapped around Sheimi, allowing him to successfully pull her from the demon's grip. The demon twisted, doing a handspring before ending back on his feet again.

 _Bang!_

Something went flying through the air, where it met Amaimon's point on his hair.

The smoke filtered away, showing that Amaimon's hair now looked... Well, the color made it look a lot like a thing of broccoli. Shima did a spit-take before laughing. Konekomura, who was the one that held the firecracker that exploded in his hair, looked utterly horrified. Allen set Sheimi down besides Rin. Amaimon disappeared.

Allen was so close to not making it to Shima in time to prevent Amaimon from landing a kick on the pinkette. His cloak wrapped around Shima, preventing him injury as his own spine collided with a tree about six meters away. It was a sharp jolt, one he hadn't felt in a while. Crown Clown unraveled from the surprised pinkette.

"A-Allen? What is this? What happened?"

The white-headed male got to his feet with a light grunt. The color of blue lit up in the corner of Allen's vision.

"Dammit Rin," he growled, looking agitated. Even Shima, seeing his expression, took a step away. The male ran towards where the others were.

Rin had his flames unleashed and was fighting Amaimon. Allen tensed to join.

 _" **Not yet,** " _Neah cut in. _" **With him just using his flames like that, even you will recieve devastating injuries that'll take forever to heal.** "_

"But-"

 _" **Rin seems to be handling himself quite well. Besides, you should probably take it easy.** "_

Shura arrived, ending Neah's conversation as Allen watched the demon and half-demon fight. Every time Rin recieved a hit, he'd come back with one more wild than the last. He recognized what was going on rather well. The ravenette was losing himself...

"Walker, let's go," Shura ordered. "It's not safe here for us."

"On the contrary, Miss Kirigakure, this is the best place for me to be."

Her gaze was critical as she stared at Allen. "What even are you?"

He smiled back. A very soft and simple one.

"I'm a destroyer who can save."

* * *

Rin was getting too far gone. Amaimon had already been sent away and yet the ravenette still raged with his blue flames. Even Mephisto was having a bit of difficulty with him.

"Rin, that's enough," Allen commanded as the ravenette landed in front of him. All he got in return was a throaty snarl. "Rin?"

The ravenette lunged at him. And even though Allen was able to dodge past him, the flames lashed out against his skin. Allen hissed as his skin turned red.

 _" **Allen, you**_ **might _need those Noah abilities._** _"_

"I know..." The male closed his eyes. He can't use Crown Clown to attack. His Innocence could hurt Rin far too much. No, he'll have to knock the boy out. And with Destruction... It was definitely possible.

Allen allowed his skin to turn gray. As his stigmas lined his forehead, he opened his gold irises to see Rin coming his way.

The crazed boy couldn't react fast enough when Allen's fist collided with his stomach. Grabbing Rin's shoulder, Allen then spun around and used his momentum to fling Rin into a nearby tree. The trunk splintered and with a little help from Allen's powers, began to fall towards a dazed Rin.

"I'm not trying to _kill_ him," Mephisto had stated, pulling Rin out of the way before the tree crashed onto the ground.

"Neither am I," was the response. Rin was too durable of a person. And Allen didn't want to risk using his Noah powers too much with the seal so loose. Besides, he wasn't as good at controlling it as Neah was.

"You could have fooled me. You know, for a gentleman, you do devise brutal ways of getting things done."

"..."

"Come along now. Oh, and do keep that form present. The True Cross Order already suspects you so it might be best to get rid of their little suspicion as soon as possible. Otherwise it will get quite annoying, if you know what I mean."

 _" **It might be best if we do,** "_ Neah stated begrudgedly. _" **Stupid they may be, the Vatican at least knows the trademarks of a Noah.** "_

Allen hesitated for a brief second and then nodded. If they were already suspicious then...

* * *

Timcanpy was delighted to see Allen appear behind Mephisto and therefore, in front of his classmates. He had to keep some distance since Rin was trying to grab him. The small golem nudged his master's face, to which he got a small smile in return.

"A-Allen," spoke Yukio. "You're skin... You're eyes..."

The male refused to look him.

" _Noah,_ " some blond guy spat, standing on top of the tower. He said it as though it were a curse. "So you not only had Satan's spawn in your midst, but a Noah as well?" The students gaped at Allen. "Grigori will be informed about your betrayel. This incident has all the crucial evidence I need." He held up his sword as Mephisto woke up Rin. "Caliburn 'give me strength'."

And Allen swears, the sword _talked back_.

The man, to the human eye, would look as though he disappeared shortly after. Allen was there in an instant, catching the him (he would later discover that the man's name was Arthur) by his throat. His golden eyes were cold and merciless as he glared at the Paladin. "I'll kill you before you even lay a finger on him."

And like that, he threw the Paladin away, watching as the man scowled as he glared at him. He looked ready for a fight but then paused...

"New orders from Grigori. It seems that I will be preforming the disciplinary action of interrogating Mephisto Pheles, the head of the Japanese Branch. Naturally, I'll be taking Satan's spawn and the Noah as material evidence."

"If that's what your inhumanly large ego demands," Allen shot back, allowing the Paladin to carry Rin. He kept a close eye on Arthur. After all, who knows if he was going to stab him if he wasn't looking.

Rin... Allen grew somber as the ravenette tried asking if everyone was alright. Instead, he was met with harsh words. The male didn't react in the slightest when Bon demanded to know why a Noah and Satan's son was even there to begin with. He had expected this treatment and, with a sigh, allowed his human form to take front stage once more.

* * *

The words about Rin being Satan's spawn burned Allen's ears. They didn't even consider him a person. Something with feelings, emotions. They spoke as if he was a mere thing that couldn't have humanity. And Allen _hated_ it. Mephisto spoke about needed Rin as a weapon. An edge on Satan. The poor boy knelt on the ground with his expression hidden from sight. However, even Allen could feel the pain radiating off him.

"And let's not be afraid to mention the _Noah_ that Mephisto has let run around."

"Noah?" The men up in their high chairs looked to Allen when Arthur forced a hand in his direction. "Mephisto, is this boy over here truly a Noah?"

"I am." Allen's clear voice cut the demon off. He moved in front of Rin, the latter being surprised. "I was an Exorcist of the Black Order about a hundred years ago." Rin did a spit-take. "I put an end to the Holy War when I had killed the last Millennium Earl." The male paused. "My name is Allen Walker. In your history books, I am known as Crown Clown."

Silence premeated the area. None of the Vatican even seemed to know how to respond. Then...

"So your arm and that cloak is made up of the God's Crystal," they finally asked.

"Yes."

"Does that mean that there are more?"

"No." Allen narrowed his eyes. "Most of the Innocence had been destroyed. The only one that remains is mine. And once chosen, the Innocence will not find another Accomadator. Trying to force it so will bring a tragedy that your eyes had not yet seen."

There was silence for the longest time before there seemed to be a quiet agreement for a change of subject.

"Allen Walker, if you were to stay, will you watch over Satan's spawn?"

The male felt his eye twitch. "Yes, I will watch over _Rin Okumura._ "

"Very well, let us vote..."

* * *

"So you're a Noah," Kamiki had said when her, and the other students entered Allen's class. Yukio had informed him that the ravenette would be taking some different classes for now to try to control his flames. Since he was with Shura and his twin, Allen wasn't too worried.

"...Yes," he had admitted after a while.

"And you haven't tried to kill us or humanity because...?"

Allen had an appalled look on his face. "I went through a lot to save it. Why on Earth would I want to destroy it?"

"Because that's what Noah do," Shima responded uncertainly with a shrug.

"No, that's what the _other_ Noahs have done." Allen crossed his arms, looking mildly annoyed. "Since I've became Earl, I'll be happy to inform you that I haven't killed a single human. Demons yes, but not humans."

"So you... you killed humans before you became a Noah?" inquired Konekomaru timidly. This time, the male flinched.

"One must kill the last Earl in order to take over it's burden to become a new one. So yes, I have killed something akin to humans once before becoming an Earl."

"Akin to humans?" Bon looked dubious. "But they're demons."

"Now that's where your Exorcist studies are wrong." At this, the male frowned. "Demons are made up of Dark Matter. Now while Dark Matter is, in essence, tainted, the demons themselves are made up of impure Matter. Now Noah were once humans. Humans who were turned into something much more dark and powerful and could use Dark Matter in it's purest form. Demons are made of it, the Noah just use it. That's that."

"H-how did you become the Earl," Konekomaru asked. This time, Allen's response began with a pregnant silence. He finally closed his eyes and sighed.

"I was an Exorcist of the Black Order. My weapon, like other Exorcists, was called Innocence. I became the Earl during the last stages of the Holy War. By the time it ended... No one but Tim and myself was left."

At the mention of his name, the golem began to open his maw.

"No, Tim." Allen shook his head. "They don't need to see it. Just remembering it is bad enough."

The golem nodded, his mouth closing in response as it left the Exwires to simmer in curiousity.

"Today, you can have a free period. I apologize; I don't quite feel like teaching at the moment."

Some nodded while the rest shuffled through the training room to go do whatever. Allen found himself wandering over to the wall to go lean on it with a sigh. They didn't seem to mind much about him being a Noah as they did to Rin being Satan's son. Then again, Satan's actions have been far more recent. And Noah have been inactive for about forty years, due to him finally getting tired of the reincarnation's antics.

The door opened to his classroom but Allen didn't pay any mind. If the students wanted to leave for the day, so be it. He just didn't care right now.

"Mister Walker~"

 _Oh no..._

It was _him._ Allen did _not_ feel like dealing with Mephisto's antics right now.

"Mister Walker, you have a visitor~"

"Go away, Mephisto," the male grumbled, not facing his way.

"Che, same as always," a familiar voice grumbled. Allen felt his eyes widen as he moved from the wall to look in the direction of the person.

Blue-ish black hair, a scowl, a katana. Allen felt himself gulp as he pointed at the person incredulously.

"I-it's you..."

Kanda.

* * *

 _ **I...had the HARDEST time fitting Allen into the plot with Amaimon and the Vatican. :( It actually ruined my creative bits and I had to sleep in order to get them back. I'll have to put the Omake I had planned in another chapter.**_

 _ **~YokaiAngel - :P**_

 _ **~MillenniaPhoenix - Riiiight? But too late, the Vatican learned on their own violation.**_

 _ **~Ryuakilover27 - It's definitely one of those moments where you want to slap the character. And here it is.**_

 _ **~Blitza - I do have some plans on th seal yes, but there will be no "evil half". As appealing as it is, I cannot think of an evil half of Allen besides Neah, and he's rather tame in this story... I also cannnot write what I can't imagine so if I myself cannot imagine Allen evil, he isn't going to be.**_

 _ **~olivia-rodriguez-927 - Thanks~**_

 ** _~Nagisa Acchan - No problem. And thanks~_**

 ** _~xellostroubl3 - There you go!_**

 ** _~Guest - Arigato!_**

 ** _~Ary - Thanks! I'm so happy that they're in-character enough. Studying people does come in handy! Anyways, this will be following the manga. If I'm vigilante on the series, I might slip in more areas that were covered in the anime that wasn't in the manga. Like how Ukobach wasn't in the manga at all._**


End file.
